The Alan James Creative Bursary:Residency and Research Programmes aim to support artists exploring new creative ideas inspired by and sourced from traditional folk music relating to England. This programme provides artists with an opportunity to undertake creative exploration without the pressure of a final product.
We will be awarding two full bursaries (residencies) and two research bursaries.
The awards on offer
Full Bursary
● a bursary of up to £2,000
● research facilities at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (online and in person) and support from library and archive staff.
● up to five days of rehearsal space at Cecil Sharp House, London or the Glasshouse International, Gateshead. Applicants that wish to work elsewhere will be considered but no additional funding for space hire will be available.
● additional funding for Access needs.
Research Bursary
● a bursary of £500
● research facilities at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (online and in person) and support from library and archive staff.
Alan James was a former Chair of EFDSS who died suddenly in April 2019. In the spirit of Alan’s eclectic musical tastes and his ability to foster exciting artistic collaborations, we are particularly interested in receiving applications which explore folk music in the context of cross-genre or cross-art form collaborations.
The award is aimed at artists with a track-record as professional creative artists. An application can be from one artist or a group of artists, and from existing groups/bands or new collaborations. Your application must clearly explain how your proposal is creatively developmental for you and your collaborators.
Previous bursary awardees have gone on to develop their R & D work further to produce material for recording and performance. Recent examples are albums from You Are Wolf ‘Hare//Hunter//Moth//Ghost’; Tamsin Elliott and Tarek Elazhary ‘So Far We Have Come’; and Angeline Morrisons ‘The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience’.
Access
Additional funding will be available for Disabled artists led projects with additional access needs.
Closing date for applications: Sunday 31 May 2026, midnight
