English Folk Dance and Song Society

Applications for our latest round of Alan James Creative Bursaries are now open.

The EFDSS Creative Bursary and Residency Programme, now in its eleventh year, aims to support artists in exploring new creative ideas inspired by and sourced from traditional English folk music. This programme provides artists with an opportunity to undertake creative exploration without the pressure of a final product.

Alan James was the 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 English folk music in the context of cross-genre or cross-art form collaborations and explorations and welcome applications from all. English folk music must be the core element of the proposal.

Four awards will be offered to artists in 2023.

All these bursaries are funded by individual donations, and grants from PRS for Music Foundation Talent Development Partner scheme and Arts Council England. They come under the umbrella of EFDSS’ Artists’ Development Programme, which provides professional development support, both creative and business, to artists at all levels of their career.

Each bursary is worth up to £2,000, and supports artists’ creative research and development together with use of rehearsal space at Cecil Sharp House and access to the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library.

Closing date: 30 May 2023

Candidates will be informed by 6 July 2023
Bursaries to be completed by 29 February 2024

Please fill out the application form and equal opportunities form and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For any enquiries please direct these to Zoe or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Katy Spicer, EFDSS Chief Executive and Artistic Director, said: ‘Our bursaries are designed to kick-start projects, giving artists time to bring their ideas to life. We are delighted to pay tribute to Alan James with these exciting and eclectic projects.’

Creative Bursary and Residency programme 2023 guidelines (Word)

Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (Word)

Creative Bursary Application Form (Word)

Past Bursary recipients have included

2022/23

2021/22

2020/21

2019/20

2018/19

2017/18

We are a founder signatory to Sound and Music’s Fair Access Principles – a code of best practice for running successful, open and inclusive artist development programmes, competitions and awards.