The Freelands Foundation Limited

Charity Number: 1162648

Annual Expenditure: £5.5M
Throughout England And Wales

Contact Info

Website: www.freelandsfoundation.co.uk

Phone: 020 3598 7081

Email: amy@freelandsfoundation.co.uk

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £3.5 million (approximate, based on 2024 data)
  • Success Rate: Data not publicly available
  • Decision Time: 6-8 weeks (varies by program)
  • Grant Range: £50,000 - £450,000 (over three years)
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)

Contact Details

  • Website: www.freelandsfoundation.co.uk
  • Email: amy@freelandsfoundation.co.uk
  • Phone: 020 3598 7081
  • Address: 113 Regent's Park Road, London, NW1 8UR
  • Director: Henry Ward
  • Chief Operating Officer: Amy Walker

For specific program enquiries, contact the relevant team through the main email address.

Overview

The Freelands Foundation was established in 2015 by Elisabeth Murdoch CBE (charity number 1162648) with the mission to give everyone in the UK, regardless of background or location, access to art education, to raise their aspirations and empower them to transform their life opportunities. The Foundation supports artists and cultural institutions to broaden audiences for the visual arts and enable all young people to engage actively with the creation and enjoyment of art. Since 2015, Freelands Foundation has refined its grant-making approach, evolving from focused large grants to developing UK-wide open call processes and partnering with specialist organisations. The Foundation operates with a belief in the intrinsic value of art and that making is fundamental, championing art education and nurturing material literacy. In 2020, the Foundation established a £3 million fund to tackle racial inequality in the visual arts, demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Main Grant Programme: £50,000 - £150,000 per year, for up to three years (minimum £50,000 for one year, maximum £450,000 over three years). Open to UK universities and registered charities through regular thematic open calls with fixed deadlines and a two-stage application process (Expression of Interest followed by full application).

Studio Fellowships: Launched in 2021 as a Painting Fellowship, expanded in 2023 to encompass wider studio practice. Supports the relationship between making and learning by partnering artists with UK universities. Fellows receive studio space, mentorship, and support. Recent fellows include artists at Brighton, Swansea, Manchester Metropolitan, Bath Spa, Belfast, and Aberdeen.

The Freelands Award: Established in 2016 to enable a UK arts organisation to present an exhibition with significant new work by a mid-career woman artist who may not yet have received the acclaim or public recognition her work deserves. The award is currently being re-conceptualised and will relaunch in 2025.

Freelands Art Fund Acquisition: Offers grants of up to £60,000 for museums to acquire contemporary art, often linked to the Freelands Award winning artist.

Artists' Bursaries: Offered in partnership with a-n The Artists Information Company, supporting practicing artists at any career stage with a UK bank account. Applications reviewed by panel of a-n staff, Artists Council members, artists and curators.

Priority Areas

  • Visual arts education in all contexts (schools, universities, museums, galleries, community settings)
  • Teacher-centred approaches to art education, building collaborative relationships between schools and visual arts organisations
  • Bold and diverse approaches to teaching and learning art
  • Diversity and inclusion in the visual arts sector, particularly supporting Black-led organisations
  • Mid-career women artists who deserve greater recognition
  • Material literacy and making as fundamental to art education
  • Engagement with young people in primary and secondary education
  • Studio practice and the relationship between making and learning
  • Broadening access to art education regardless of background or location

What They Don't Fund

  • Projects that are solely artistic and do not centre education (e.g., exhibitions or commissions without educational components)
  • Direct grants to individuals for travel or study (except through specific bursary programs)
  • Programmes already funded by Freelands Foundation, including top-up grants or expansion funding for currently supported projects
  • Retrospective funding for programmes or work already completed
  • Activities attempting to influence legislation
  • Students in statutory, further, or higher education for activities directly linked to their formal studies (for emergency funding)
  • Organisations based outside the UK

Governance and Leadership

Founder: Elisabeth Murdoch CBE serves as Treasurer and Director. She established the Foundation in 2015 with a clear vision: “to give everyone in the UK, regardless of background or location, access to art education, to raise their aspirations and empower them to transform their life opportunities.”

Director: Henry Ward oversees the Foundation's strategic direction and launched the Freelands Painting Prize in 2020. Ward is also head of education at the Foundation and an artist, writer, and educator.

Chief Operating Officer: Amy Walker manages operational aspects of the Foundation.

Advisory Committee: Includes Teresa Gleadowe among other advisors.

Governance: No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The Foundation emphasizes collaborative decision-making with panels of experts, including artists, curators, educators, and sector specialists involved in grant selection processes.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Two-Stage Process: Most grant programmes use an Expression of Interest (EOI) followed by a full application for shortlisted candidates.

  1. Expression of Interest: Download the EOI form from the specific fund page on the Foundation's website. Submit via email as directed in the call guidelines.
  1. Full Application: If successful at EOI stage, invited applicants submit a detailed full application through an online portal.

Application Support:

  • Download and read application guidance before starting (step-by-step guide available)
  • Write applications offline first, then transfer to online form
  • Save a copy for records (the Foundation won't send one)
  • Access support available: if you need assistance to complete your application (e.g., BSL interpretation, accessible formats), the Foundation can cover costs—email with details to arrange
  • Technical questions: contact amy@freelandsfoundation.co.uk

Call Structure: Regular open calls with thematic focus and fixed deadlines (not rolling). Calls typically advertised several months before deadline.

Decision Timeline

  • Expression of Interest to invitation for full application: Approximately 4-6 weeks
  • Full application to decision: Approximately 6-8 weeks
  • Notification: Decisions communicated by email
  • Unsuccessful applicants: Brief feedback provided in notification email

For the Artists' Bursaries 2024-25, decisions were communicated by January 31, 2025. Emergency Fund decisions (past programme) took approximately 5-6 weeks.

Success Rates

The Foundation does not publicly disclose specific success rates or acceptance percentages. In 2024, the Foundation awarded 52 grants totaling approximately $4.4 million (£3.5 million), suggesting competitive selection processes. The Foundation has indicated anticipating “a large number of applications” for major funding rounds, confirming competitive nature.

Reapplication Policy

Generally permitted: Unsuccessful applicants can reapply to future funding rounds. For the Emergency Fund, unsuccessful applicants were explicitly eligible to reapply, while those who received and accepted grants were not.

Not permitted: Organisations already receiving Freelands Foundation funding cannot apply for additional grants for the same project, including top-up grants or expansion funding.

Feedback provided: Unsuccessful applicants receive brief feedback in their notification email to help inform future applications.

Application Success Factors

Foundation's Direct Advice

  • Read guidance thoroughly: "We recommend downloading and reading our application guidance before you fill in the online form, as it's a helpful step-by-step guide outlining all the information we'll ask you to provide."
  • Education-centred approach: Projects must centre education, not just add educational elements to artistic programmes
  • Teacher involvement: For school partnerships, centre teachers in creative approaches to art education
  • Bold and innovative: The Foundation seeks “bold and diverse approaches” and “bold and innovative programmes”
  • Collaboration: Build strong collaborative relationships between schools and visual arts organisations

Recent Successful Projects

The MAC Belfast (Autumn 2023 Fund): Partnership with six Northern Irish secondary schools providing space, time, and resources for professional and artistic development for teachers (2024-2027, multi-year grant)

Studio Fellowships 2024: Six artists partnered with universities including Brighton, Swansea, Manchester Metropolitan, Bath Spa, Belfast, and Aberdeen

City & Guilds of London Art School: Five bursaries for Foundation Diploma: Art & Design course 2024/25

Space to Dream Fund: Seven grants totaling £608,000 to Black-led visual arts organisations in Bristol, Leicester, and London, including 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning (Brixton), Arab British Centre (Central London), and Bernie Grant Arts Centre (Tottenham)

Key Terminology

  • “Material literacy and making”
  • “Broadening access”
  • “Bold and diverse approaches”
  • “Collaborative relationships”
  • “Teacher-centred”
  • “Transforming life opportunities”
  • “Regardless of background or location”
  • “Intrinsic value of art”

Standing Out

  • Demonstrate genuine collaboration between partners (not just lead organisation dominance)
  • Show how teachers are centred and empowered, not just recipients of training
  • Evidence understanding of local context and barriers to visual arts access
  • Present innovative approaches that haven't been tried before
  • Include diverse voices in project design and delivery
  • Show clear educational outcomes alongside artistic quality
  • Demonstrate organisational capacity for multi-year delivery if applying for longer grants

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Education must be central: The Foundation funds education programmes, not purely artistic projects. Education cannot be an add-on; it must be the core purpose.
  • Three-year funding available: The Foundation offers substantial multi-year grants (up to £450,000 over three years), providing rare long-term security for ambitious programmes. Position your project for sustainable impact.
  • Two-stage process requires strategic planning: Prepare a compelling EOI that makes reviewers want to know more. Save detailed evidence and budgets for the full application stage.
  • Alignment with diversity commitments: The Foundation has demonstrated significant commitment to addressing racial inequality (£3 million dedicated fund). Projects advancing equity and inclusion align with strategic priorities.
  • Teacher-centred philosophy: For school partnerships, position teachers as creative practitioners and decision-makers, not passive recipients of artist-led workshops.
  • Access support is genuine: The Foundation provides funded access support (BSL, accessible formats, etc.). Don't let access needs prevent applying.
  • Elisabeth Murdoch's vision guides selection: Proposals should demonstrate how they enable “everyone in the UK, regardless of background or location” to access art education and “transform their life opportunities.”

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

  • Cathy Wills Charitable Trust
  • The Noswad Charity
  • Luma Foundation
  • The Ancaster Trust
  • The Anthony And Elizabeth Mellows Charitable Settlement
  • The Godinton Charitable Trust
  • The Inverforth Charitable Trust
  • The Mccorquodale Charitable Trust
  • The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust
  • Bedhampton Charitable Trust

References

  1. Freelands Foundation Official Website. www.freelandsfoundation.co.uk..
  1. UK Charity Commission Register. “THE FREELANDS FOUNDATION LIMITED - Charity Number 1162648.” https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1162648..
  1. Freelands Foundation Grants Page. “Autumn 2023 Fund.” https://freelandsfoundation.co.uk/grants/autumn-2023..
  1. Freelands Foundation. “About Us.” https://freelandsfoundation.co.uk/about/..
  1. Freelands Foundation. “Team.” https://freelandsfoundation.co.uk/about/team/..
  1. The MAC Belfast. “Freelands Foundation funding and partnership with NI secondary schools announced.” https://themaclive.com/about-us/news/freelands-foundation-funding-and-partnership-with-ni-secondary-schools-announced..
  1. a-n The Artists Information Company. "Freelands Foundation Artists' Bursaries 2024–25." https://www.a-n.co.uk/bursaries/freelands-foundation-artists-bursaries-2024-25/..
  1. a-n The Artists Information Company. “Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund.” https://www.a-n.co.uk/about/freelands-foundation-emergency-fund-2/..
  1. Funding for All. “Freelands Foundation.” https://fundingforall.org.uk/funds/freelands-foundation/..
  1. Artquest. “Freelands Foundation.” https://artquest.org.uk/listing/freelands-foundation/..
  1. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. “Freelands Foundation - 473819627.” https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/473819627..
  1. The Art Newspaper. “Freelands Foundation powers UK non-profits with £1.5m cash boost for emerging artists.” https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/freelands-foundation-powers-uk-non-profits-with-gbp1-5m-cash-boost-for-emerging-artists..
  1. City & Guilds of London Art School. "New Freelands Foundation grant for Foundation Art & Design Bursaries." https://www.cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk/new-freelands-foundation-grant-for-foundation-art-design-bursaries/..
  1. Freelands Foundation. “£1.27m grants to tackle racial inequality in the visual arts.” https://freelandsfoundation.co.uk/commitment-first-grants..