Creative Folkestone
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If you are an arts group, company, organisation or sole trader based in the Folkestone area and want to develop a new creative festival with community involvement, the Festivals Fund fits your work, provided the outcome is creative and for a live audience.
- The Festivals Fund is stated at up to £5,000, and the annual report gives total annual giving of £87,200, which may include grants to individuals, so a modest request suits this funder.
- Three rounds close at 5pm on 8 May, 12 June and 11 September; download the application and equal opportunities forms from its website, then email the completed forms or send a link before the deadline, and expect a decision within about 2 weeks.
- The charity states that it funded 18 of 22 requests (81.8%) across the three grant rounds, but the panel looks for an original idea, a practical delivery plan, evidence of community engagement, realistic finance and evaluation, sound marketing and public relations, and a commitment to diversity and equal opportunity.
- Groups based outside the Folkestone area, and projects that are digital, one-off exhibitions or performances, should not apply.
Overview
Creative Folkestone is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1105174).
Creative Folkestone is a charity registered in England and Wales that exists to make Folkestone a better place to live, work and visit through creativity. It began as the Creative Foundation with support from a charitable trust. It runs six major projects: Folkestone Triennial, Folkestone Artworks, Quarterhouse, the Creative Quarter, Folkestone Book Festival and Prospect Cottage.
What they fund
Priority Areas
Creative Folkestone champions creativity and community transformation. Its Festivals Fund supports exciting, inspiring and innovative creative festivals centred around the Creative Quarter, for the benefit of the community and visitors to the town. It considers applications from arts groups, companies, organisations and sole traders based in the Folkestone area who want to develop new festivals with community involvement. Festivals may be thematic or issue-based, but their outcome must be creative and for a live audience. The selection panel looks for original ideas, achievable delivery plans, evidence of community engagement, realistic finance and evaluation, sound marketing and public relations, and a commitment to diversity and equal opportunity.
Themes
- Creative festivals
Geographic Focus
Folkestone area.
What they don't fund
- Festivals Fund only:
- digital projects
- one-off exhibitions
- performances
- Applicants must be arts groups, companies, organisations or sole traders based in the Folkestone area
- Applicants must have aspirations to develop new and exciting festivals with community involvement
- The outcome must be creative and for a live audience
How to apply
Download the application and equal opportunities forms from the Creative Folkestone website, then email the completed forms or send a link by the appropriate deadline.
Deadlines: Three application deadlines recur each year.
Application windows:
- Round 1: Closes at 5pm on 8 May
- Round 2: Closes at 5pm on 12 June
- Round 3: Closes at 5pm on 11 September
Who can apply:
- Festivals Fund: Applications will be considered from arts groups, companies, organisations or sole traders based in the Folkestone area.
What to send:
- Festivals Fund
- A completed application form.
- A completed equal opportunities form.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- The panel values an exciting, original and creative idea.
- The panel looks for a practical and achievable delivery plan.
- The panel looks for evidence of community engagement.
- The panel values a realistic approach to finance and evaluation.
- The panel looks for a sound marketing and public relations campaign.
- The panel values a commitment to diversity and equal opportunity.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- Folkestone
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Creative Folkestone.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 March 2021 | £3,661,249 | £2,272,438 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2021 |
| year to 31 March 2022 | £4,932,681 | £3,913,996 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2022 |
| year to 31 March 2023 | £2,793,414 | £2,707,441 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2023 |
| year to 31 March 2024 | £3,078,417 | £2,662,234 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2024 |
| year to 31 March 2025 | £3,013,426 | £3,329,362 | £87,200 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2025 |
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- creativefolkestone.org.uk
- creativefolkestone.org.uk/festivals-fund · read on 30 October 2026
- creativefolkestone.org.uk/uploads/Festivals-Fund-2025-application-pack.pdf · read on 30 October 2026
- creativefolkestone.org.uk/about · read on 30 October 2026
- creativefolkestone.org.uk/visit-and-contact · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 March 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Creative Folkestone?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Applying to Creative Folkestone?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required