European Union-Backed Money For Creatives In East Sussex And Brighton

What do new kilns, cameras, metalworking equipment, websites, laptops and online platforms for festivals all have in common?

They are all items the South East Creatives project has helped to fund.

According to officials connected with the organisation, more than 160 companies and sole traders have been supported and the project has continued to operate throughout the pandemic.

Business in the creative sector East Sussex and Brighton (together with Kent and Essex) can apply for grants or workshops and mentoring or internships.

South East Creatives is offering 35% grant funding for businesses in the digital, creative and cultural sector.

The grants are designed to help businesses grow with the 'Top Up' Grants (for spending between £3K - £4K) proving popular for businesses taking that next step or diversifying at this unpredictable time.  

The team managing the funds claimed the programme, which they call "ambitious", is stimulating economic development and is seeing success stories every day.  

East Sussex's Local Co-ordinator, Marina Norris, said:

"We are really lucky to have a resource able to support creative and cultural businesses at this extraordinary time.

"Many organisations and creative freelancers are adapting what they do to continue to grow and reach new people.

"Our grants can make a real difference, the process is simple and quick and we're here to help."

Performance storyteller and Author of 'Goddesses and Heroines' Xanthe Gresham has been in receipt of a South East Creatives grant.

She added: 

"I can't recommend SECCADS highly enough - applying for the grant was straightforward and I was encouraged to apply from the moment I showed an interest - the team were supportive, following up queries with phone calls, quick email responses and even invaluable comments on my application form pre-submission.  

"Now the money has come through, I'm all set to leap into a new phase with my work - a godsend after lockdown."

The project supports a wide range of business including advertising and marketing, architecture, crafts, designers, film, television, radio, photography, IT software and computer services, publishing, museums, galleries, libraries, music, and performance and visual arts.  

In the South-East in 2019 the number of creative sector enterprises increased year on year with software and computer services accounting for nearly half of these.  

In 2018, 105,600 people were employed in the creative sector in the South-East (2.3% of their workforce)*.  

Fund officials claimed that the effects of the Covid pandemic hitting have not been fully realised, and they wanted to help ensure the sector continues to grow.

South East Creatives, run by Thurrock Council, is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the programme aims to help more than 350 companies and sole-traders with business support or grants.

The project is receiving up to £2.578 million of funding as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

To apply for a grant or workshop/mentoring, businesses should go to the project website to first check that their business is eligible for support:

www.southeastcreatives.co.uk

*Source: www.kent.gov.uk statistical bulletin 2019.