Art Fund Grants - THE HERDS

Art Fund is offering grants to enable museums, galleries and cultural organisations to programme activities inspired by THE HERDS.

Apply for up to £2,000 to fund events to take place across May-June 2025.

Join an international conversation about climate change through storytelling, activities and community engagement.

Art Fund is offering grants to enable museums, galleries and cultural organisations to programme activities inspired by THE HERDS, a new project from The Walk Productions, creators of the extraordinary journeys of Little Amal.

THE HERDS will feature over a hundred life-size animal puppets, created in renewable and recyclable materials, journeying 12,000 miles through Africa and Europe, gaining new species as they go, crashing into civilisation in major cities, warning of environmental disaster.  The project will inspire wonder for the natural world, as well as sparking discussions about the challenges of climate change.  For more information on the project please visit theherds.org.

Funding is available to support activities that connect museums and galleries’ young audiences to THE HERDS’ journey from central Africa to the Arctic Circle in a vast work of public art and climate action.

Workshops and programming can build on or be inspired by the schools' resources provided by THE HERDS or be created entirely afresh by participating museums and galleries. Grantees will also be supported with social media resources and webinars. Activities can vary from hosting workshops to school visits and more, taking place across May and June 2025, culminating in joint social media activations in July for which more details will follow.

Art Fund is proud to be partnering with THE HERDS to enable activities in museums and galleries across the UK, demonstrating the collective impact of Art Fund’s network to convene their communities and hold conversations about climate change, inspired and informed by collections, public programmes and place-based activities. 

What we can fund

National Art Pass network organisations can apply for between £500 - £2,000 to support costs relating to THE HERDS activities, including, but not limited to:  

• Payment to artists / scientists / local groups who you may wish to collaborate with 
• Materials and supplies for workshops (guidance will be provided on selecting climate-friendly materials) 
• Travel for school or community groups (please consider the environmental impact of this, including public transport options, or whether there might be the option of the workshop going to the participants) 
• Digital content 
• Movement of collection items (for example out of stores) to enable public access 
• Display of outputs (outputs and artworks from workshops, reinterpretation of collection items, etc.) 
• Evaluation of your activities 
• In addition to the above Art Fund will also support each successful applicant with up to £250 to fund digital and social media promotion for workshops and events. If your organisation does not regularly use digital and social media promotions support for this can also be requested. 
• Art Fund will also support the cost of Welsh translation for any organisation working in Wales. 

Who can apply

We are seeking applications from museums, galleries and cultural organisations across the UK who are part of Art Fund’s National Art Pass network. If you are not sure if your organisation is part of the network, or would like to discuss joining, please contact Jennie Jiricny, National Art Pass Network Manager.

Applications deadline

Midnight, Monday 20 January 2025