The Francis W Reckitt Arts Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Expenditure: £172,391 (2024)
• Annual Income: £112,440 (2024)
• Grant Range: Up to £85 per day (maximum 12 days per year)
• Geographic Focus: UK-based professional artists
• Primary Programme: Hawkwood Artists' Residency Programme (HARP)
• Artists Supported: ~100 artists annually through HARP

Contact Details

Website: reckittarts.org

Email: office@reckittarts.org

Phone: 01453 759034

Address: Hawkwood College, Painswick Old Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7QW

For HARP Applications: info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk

Overview

The Francis W Reckitt Arts Trust was founded in 1929 by Francis William Reckitt (1860-1932) as Mount Pleasant Artists' Rest Home. The Trust provides grants towards board and accommodation costs for professional artists, writers, composers and others engaged in literature, music or the fine arts, enabling them to work or rest in peaceful surroundings for short periods. While the Trust does offer occasional grants to eligible artists and charities, it now provides most of its regular and substantial support to the Hawkwood Artists' Residency Programme (HARP), which welcomes approximately 100 artists each year spanning various disciplines including musicians, writers, visual artists, theatre practitioners, and interdisciplinary artists.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Hawkwood Artists' Residency Programme (HARP) - Primary funding route

• Rolling applications reviewed as funding and rooms become available
• Typical residency: 5 days (Monday-Friday), with possibility of longer stays
• Covers full board (organic food), lodging, and studio working space
• Funded at equivalent of £140 per 24 hours per person
• Does not cover travel costs

Individual Artist Grants - Limited availability

• Maximum £85 per artist per day
• Maximum 12 days per year per artist
• Maximum 2 separate grants per artist per year (total still capped at 12 days)
• Artists must submit separate applications for each stay
• Report required on first stay before applying again

Priority Areas

Professional artists in:

• Literature (writers, poets)
• Music (composers, musicians, songwriters)
• Fine arts (painters, sculptors, potters)
• Theatre practitioners
• Interdisciplinary artists
• Architecture and other creative professions producing new artistic work

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be UK-based professional creative artists
• Must be unable to cover residency costs themselves (£140 per 24 hours)
• Need for rest, convalescence, or quiet working time away from home

What They Don't Fund

• Travel costs to/from residency
• Artists who can afford to cover their own residency costs
• Non-professional or amateur artists

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees (as of 2024):

• Mr Chris Green - Chair (appointed October 2015)
• Mark Roland Fishlock - Trustee (appointed May 2025)
• Ian Archer - Trustee (appointed April 2023, also trustee of Scala Arts Centre Worcester)
• Chris Cook - Trustee (appointed March 2018)
• Ms Marcelle Bernstein - Trustee (appointed February 2014)

The Trust operates with 5 trustees and 3 employees. No trustees receive remuneration. Trustees make final decisions on eligibility and applications and are not required to give reasons for their decisions. The trustees balance grant allocations throughout the year based on annual income from fund investments.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For HARP Residencies (Primary route - recommended for most artists):

• Complete the online application form at: hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/artist-residency-application-form
• No application deadline - rolling basis
• Applications reviewed as funding and rooms become available
• Contact: info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk

For Individual Grants (Outside HARP):

• Contact the Trust directly with full details via the website contact form
• Note: “If the request is not considered likely to result in a successful application to the Trustees, the note will not necessarily be answered”
• Artists seeking multiple stays must submit separate applications for each stay
• Must provide a report on first stay before applying again

Decision Timeline

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as funding and rooms become available. According to the Trust: “Because we are arranging several residencies over a long period of time, you may not hear from us for a while.” Specific decision timeframes are not published, and applicants should expect variable wait times depending on funding availability and scheduling.

Past residents describe the application process as “very straightforward.”

Success Rates

Approximately 100 artists receive support annually through HARP. Specific application-to-success ratios are not published.

Reapplication Policy

For individual grants outside HARP: Artists may receive up to 2 grants per year, with a maximum total of 12 days. Separate applications required for each stay. A report on the first stay must be submitted before applying again. Unless there are special circumstances, the 12-day annual maximum applies.

Application Success Factors

Financial Need is Critical: The Trust explicitly states that “artists must be professional and not be able to cover the costs of a residency themselves (which is the equivalent of £140 per 24 hours per person).” Applications must demonstrate genuine financial need.

Professional Status Required: Applicants must be professional creative practitioners producing new artistic work in a professional context, not amateur or hobbyist artists.

Purpose of Stay: Applications should clearly articulate whether the residency is for:

• Active creative work requiring quiet working time
• Rest and recuperation
• Convalescence following illness

Apply Through HARP: The Trust explicitly states it “generally provides most of its regular and substantial support to the Hawkwood Artists Residence Programme.” Individual applications outside HARP may not receive responses if deemed unlikely to succeed.

Partnership Organizations: The Trust has working relationships with organizations including Strike a Light Gloucester, The Roundhouse, and The Royal Court Theatre. Artists connected to these partners may find stronger support.

Recent Funded Work Examples:

• Visual artists Helen Blencowe (abstract acrylic and mixed media) and Mark Clifford exhibited at Site Festival 2023
• NYX Live (vocal and electronic collective) developed work that premiered at Dark Mofo Festival 2023 (Tasmania) and Queen Elizabeth Hall 2024 (London)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Apply through HARP first: The Hawkwood Artists' Residency Programme is the primary funding route and most likely to succeed
• Demonstrate financial need: Must show inability to cover £140/day residency costs yourself
• Professional credentials essential: Amateur artists not eligible
• Rolling deadlines work in your favor: No competition for fixed deadline rounds - apply when ready
• Multiple applications possible: Can apply for up to 2 residencies per year (12 days total)
• Don't expect responses to unlikely applications: The Trust states they may not answer enquiries deemed unlikely to succeed
• Think 5-day residencies: Standard HARP format is Monday-Friday, though longer considered

References

• UK Charity Commission Register of Charities - Charity Number 230928: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/230928
• The Francis W Reckitt Arts Trust official website: https://www.reckittarts.org/
• Hawkwood College Artist Residency Programme page: https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/our-programmes/residency-programmes/artist-residency-programme
• RSA Artist Residency Opportunity announcement: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/news/artist-residency-opportunity-for-you-or-for-artists-you-may-know
• Site Festival 2023 - Open Studios at Hawkwood College: https://www.sitefestival.org.uk/2023-festival-programme/2023/3/30/hawkwood