English Folk Dance and Song Society

Applications for Alan James Creative Bursaries

Applications for 2022 are now open.

The EFDSS Creative Bursary and Residency Programme, now in its tenth 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. There are four awards to be made.

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.

Please email completed application forms along with the Equal Opportunities Monitoring form over to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 1 June 2022.
Candidates informed by Friday 1 July 2022.
Bursaries to be completed by 28 February 2023.

Creative Bursary and Residency programme 2022 guidelines

Creative Bursary Application form 2022

Equal Opportunities Monitoring form_2022

Read the news page for more details.

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.’

Past Bursary recipients have included:

2021/22