Creative Access Career Development Bursary

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 4th November

'Learn More' session: Wednesday 9th October from 1-2pm. Register your interest here.

To view an easy read document for this bursary please click here.

Are financial barriers preventing you from achieving your career goals? Do you need funding to make a purchase which will help you get to the next stage of your career in the creative industries? Then our Career Development Bursary is for you! 

The annual Creative Access Career Development Bursary, generously supported by our partners WME and McLaren Racing, aims to help alleviate some of the financial barriers that may be getting in the way whilst you enter or progress your career in the creative economy. 

We know the cost of living crisis, soaring costs, plus arts funding cuts, are still holding back too many people from achieving their goals in the creative industries. So, we’ve teamed up with our partners WME  and McLaren Racing to make sure that as many talented people as possible from under-represented backgrounds can access vital funding and level-up their careers.  

McLaren Racing has worked with Creative Access since 2021 as part of the team’s flagship DE&I programme, McLaren Racing Engage, which was launched to open pathways into motorsport careers and support talent from under-represented communities.

The Bursary has been created to support talent from under-represented communities who either want to break into, or develop their career in the creative economy. We’ll be supporting people with financial grants to help overcome some of the cost barriers that come with entering or progressing within the creative industries, whether that’s access to equipment, career coaching, driving lessons, care costs, software and much, much more!   

Please note this is a positive action scheme opportunity targeted at individuals who identify as being from an under-represented group in the creative industries. This includes Black, Asian and ethnically diverse individuals, disabled people and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. It also includes care leavers, young carers, people who have come to the UK as refugees or asylum seekers and those undergoing gender reassignment/transitioning. 

How does the Career Development Bursary work?   

We have a limited number of bursaries available, and you can apply for a bursary of any amount up to £1,000 to help you push your career forward to the next stage.  

Bursaries are open to individuals over the age of 18 from communities that are under-represented in the creative industries. For the past three years, so far we’ve supported 123 people with bursaries ranging from £250-£1,000. This has included funding for a range of uses: from driving lessons, working from home equipment, software subscriptions (like Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office), laptops, to camera equipment, art equipment, training courses, relocation costs, film festival submission costs and mentoring.  

“The bursary is a humongous help to me and my career… it makes my career and my interaction with the creative industry far more accessible.” 

What can the bursary fund? 

• Training courses (including driving lessons) 
• Equipment or software purchase (at an appropriate specification for your career stage)  
• Equipment or venue hire 
• Relocation costs (e.g. deposit or rent support) 
• Contribution to living costs whilst working or training (e.g. travel and accommodation) 
• Disability access support 
• Care costs 
• Coaching or mentoring 
• Participation in career development programmes (e.g. Springboard and Thrive) 

Unfortunately, we cannot fund: academic courses, debts, costs that should be paid for by an employer, expenses for activities that have already occurred. 

How much money can I access? 

The maximum amount you can apply for is £1,000 and you must provide evidence about your costs (e.g. if you’re applying for equipment, you must specify the exact make and model required and be able to justify why it’s appropriate for your needs).  

We can only consider one application per person. If you’re applying for several related costs, you should make one bursary application and itemise the different elements, including the grand total.   

What do I need to apply? 

• An aspiration to work in or to develop your career in the creative economy. This encompasses any role in the creative industries, or creative roles in other sectors (e.g. design, marketing, branding). Industries include: 
  • Architecture 
  • Art 
  • Book, newspaper and magazine publishing 
  • Campaigning, government and policy 
  • Fashion 
  • Film, TV, radio and audio production 
  • Museums, galleries and libraries 
  • Music, theatre, dance and visual arts 
  • PR, marketing and advertising 
  • Product design & graphic design 
  • Talent management 
  • Technology and gaming 
• A clear idea of what you would spend the bursary on and the ability to demonstrate how it would contribute to your career development 
• Evidence of your expected cost(s) e.g. website link(s), itemised breakdown of costs 

Plus, you’ll need to: 

• Be over the age of 18, eligible to work in the UK and have a UK bank account in your name (we’re happy to accept applications from those still in education or training)
• Identify as being from an under-represented group in the creative industries. This includes Black, Asian and ethnically diverse individuals, disabled people and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. It also includes care leavers, young carers, people who have come to the UK as refugees or asylum seekers and those undergoing gender reassignment/transitioning. Further information on our eligibility can be found at our FAQs
• Be able to demonstrate financial need (please do not apply if you are not in need of financial relief/support, or have savings of over £5,000) 
• Be able to use the funding:  
  • After early January 2025 when the funding period begins (we will not be able to issue funding any earlier than this) 
  • By Friday 29th August 2025 when the funding period ends 
  • If you are making a one-off purchase that is not impacted by time scale (i.e. a laptop) we may shorten the funding window  

To apply:

• Log into your Creative Access account or register today to apply for this opportunity 
• Complete our online application form, which will ask you to provide the following information: 
  • Confirmation of your eligibility for the bursary  
  • The total bursary amount you would like to apply for, and evidence of costs 
  • A personal statement explaining what your bursary application is for, how it will be used, why it is not available by other means and how the funded item(s) will help develop your career in the creative economy. A clear and focused personal statement with a strong rationale for why you need bursary support is key to a successful application. Please ensure you cover the following: 
    • A brief overview of your career to date and aspirations for the future 
    • What you would use the bursary for and how the funded item(s) would support you in your career development  
    • Why you need financial support at this particular point in time 
    • What your next steps would be if you secured our financial support  
    • When you would plan to spend the bursary by 
• Once submitted, you can no longer amend your application so please review carefully.  

If you require any access support while completing the application form or would prefer to submit your application in an alternative format (e.g. video or audio recording), please email tinu@creativeaccess.org.uk to discuss further.  

Assessment criteria 

A clear and focused personal statement with a strong rationale for why you need bursary support is key to a successful application, so please ensure that your statement addresses all the requested points.  

We will also take into consideration the following when assessing applications: 

• The evidence you’ve provided about what the bursary would be used to fund, and itemisation of expected costs including grand total. 
• Suitability of the item(s) you’ve applied for, relevant to your career stage 
• Long term sustainability of the item(s) you’ve applied for 

What happens after I’ve applied? 

We’ll aim to notify you of the outcome of your application within six weeks of the application deadline in mid-December.

You will receive a confirmation email once you submit your application – if you haven’t received this then please contact tinu@creativeaccess.org.uk who can check for you. Please also email us if something has changed in your plans after having submitted your application. 

If your application is successful, you’ll receive a bursary offer from us. When you’ve met all the conditions outlined in your offer and provided any additional information requested, we will pay 80% of the agreed bursary amount into your bank account. The remainder of the funding will be reserved until you have submitted relevant documentation to prove the spend of 100% of your bursary (e.g. receipts of purchase, bank statements). 

Questions?  

For any queries or for further information, please email Tinu Sodeinde on tinu@creativeaccess.org.uk 

Want to learn more?  

Come along to a ‘Learn More’ session on Wednesday 9th October at 1-2pm on Zoom by signing up via this link.