FEAST Criteria

Updated 03/05/2024, You can download this page as a PDF file at the bottom of the page.

Introduction

The purpose of FEAST grants are to enable high-quality arts and cultural activity in towns, villages and parishes across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Collectively, FEAST projects should make a lasting positive impact on people and communities locally, and influence future funding and policy for the arts at local, regional, and national levels.

Before making an application, we encourage you not to focus on what FEAST can do for you as an individual or organisation, but rather on what FEAST funding can enable you to do for communities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This should steer you to the kinds of project that would be successful.

Below are our criteria which serve as the guiding principles for how applications to all our funding strands are assessed. All criteria are of equal importance and are weighted identically. Additional criteria may be applicable for specialist grants, and those will be outlined clearly in the application pack.

Core Criteria

These Core Criteria form the guiding principles of FEAST, and we expect all funded projects to meet them.

1. Quality and Ambition

Examples could include:

• Projects involving artist(s) who have a proven track record of making high-quality and professional work;
• Projects that have new and ambitious elements to your work/organisation, and the effect that may have.

2. Authentic and Innovative Community Engagement

Examples could include:

• Projects that engage with new and/or hard-to-reach audiences;
• Projects that appeal to a broad audience;
• Projects that are community-led.

3. Great Visibility and Reach

Beyond the quality of the creative work and community engagement, we would like to see the quantitative results of FEAST funding. Projects will be reviewed based on the following factors: number of public events, expected participants and audience numbers, duration of the project and additional funding gained.

We don’t necessarily expect projects to estimate high numbers on all of the above and would like to fund a variety of projects which have a different emphasis on their outputs.

4. Generosity, Openness and Collaboration

All FEAST funded projects are required to help promote and/or support each other. We also expect projects based in similar areas and of a similar nature to work together, so that the work is not duplicated. We would also like to see projects that complement each other.

5. Realistic Delivery

Projects will be reviewed based on the following factors: overall plan (timeline and budget) and the experiences and skills of people involved in delivering the project. We welcome applications from those with less experiences and understand what help or support you may need.

All funded projects are expected to consider their environmental impact and efforts should be made to reduce the carbon footprint of the project.

Additional Criteria

We expect projects to meet some of the following criteria, and we will consider the breadth as well as the depth in how you fulfil them, so that we can build a cohesive, diverse and considered programme. We would like to know if your project will:

6. Help Achieve Geographical Diversity

FEAST would like to see projects happening across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, in our city and our towns, but also in our villages and hamlets. Therefore, projects taking place in areas where we see less activities, may be looked at more favourably.

7. Create Legacy for Communities

Projects that will have longer term impact and leave a legacy for the communities they work with. Examples could include:

• skills development for participants that will have a positive real-life impact;
• activities that will build confidence in the community;
• projects that set up new community groups or other initiatives that will carry on beyond the lifetime of the project;
• events that reach particular hard-to-reach/marginalised groups.

8. Strive to Sustain

Projects that strive to be sustainable long term or strengthen the practice/work of the proposer/organiser. We are open to different interpretations of this criteria and to any new ideas. Examples could include:

• a milestone project that can make a huge difference to your practice/organisation;
• a project that has potential to generate earned income;
• a pilot project that has great potential for funding for the future.

9. Connect with the Wider Arts and Cultural Offerings in Cornwall

Linking to criteria 4 above, we would like to see projects that are connected with the wider arts and cultural offerings, adding value to the existing creative sector or to community-led programmes, beyond other FEAST funded projects.

10. Be Rooted in Cornwall

We welcome projects that reflect and address specific issues that are facing communities in Cornwall in its subject matter/theme and/or in its delivery.