Beyond
now open for Expressions of Interest
Beyond is now closed to Expressions of Interest. All EOI's submitted on or before 21 Feb will now be considered for the Spring 23 Awards Draws. Thank you to all who applied and good luck!
The Beyond fund will now be paused for a short process of evaluation following the trial year or Awards which have been made.
Overview
Riffing off the idea of circular giving, BEYOND was created to direct money from annual membership fees, back to artist members in the form of seed funding for member led projects.
Funds raised through membership fees and individual giving are accrued and ringfenced annually in the TWR’s budget. Members are then invited to submit proposals to utilise these funds for their projects. Piloting a first round in 2018, the fund had been paused during the period in which TWR waived its membership fees, to support member during the pandemic, but is now re-opening for proposals.
Through BEYOND, we hope to support projects and practices that take dance beyond the studio to connect more people to dance, while also fostering collaboration and artistic community within TWR membership. Recognising the wide range of contexts in which our members are engaging people in, and with dance, Beyond will seek to encourage, nurture and kick-start a range of artist-initiated projects through this seed funding initiative.
Proposals from members will be invited as joint proposals from two or more members wishing to work together, or from individual members working with one or more members during their project.
In the 2022/23 financial year, there is a total of £7500 to allocate as seed funding of £1500 to kick-start projects.
Background and Process
Responding to feedback gathered through What Next? conversations, which identified a desire from members to minimise time spent on application processes, TWR engaged on a process of evaluation of BEYOND, including consultation with a working group of artist members, to develop an alternative application and decision making process. This round of BEYOND will trial the new model put forward by the working group, as an experiment and as research into possible alternative models of decision making.
In keeping with TWR’s core values or generosity, inclusivity and experimentation, we see this as a valuable opportunity to be led by our members and continue asking how to best support members. We welcome feedback from members on this process, and hope to apply the learning across our wider programmes.
You can read a summary of the working group's process here.
How it Works
This iteration of BEYOND trials a simple model in which awards of £1500 are made at four intervals throughout the year, using a chance/random selection process.
A first round of Beyond opened for EOI's in May and 1 x Award of £1500 was made. A following 1 x award of £1500 was made in September 2022, and 1 x award of £1500 in December, with a further draw in March 2023. Applications for the fund can be submitted at any time in the form of an Expression of Interest, to be considered in the next draw.
An additional Award of £1500 is open to members who have experienced historic exclusion or barriers to dance due to systemic inequalities and are currently underrepresented in TWR's programme. This Award will be awarded as part of the Spring 2023 Awards draws. All EOI's submitted to previous rounds which are eligible for this draw and wish to be included will be entered into this draw. This was updated on Nov 22 after a process of review. More information in the Updated Beyond Guidance & FAQ's Document
To Apply
For full details on the Beyond fund, including eligibility and how to apply please download and read in full the Updated Beyond Guidance and FAQ's document. Expressions of Interest can be made in written, audio, or video format using the Beyond Expression Of Interest Form and should be submitted via email to applications@theworkroom.org.uk with 'BEYOND EOI' in the subject line.
Members thinking of applying can also arrange a meeting with a member of TWR team to chat through the suitability of their project or receive support in communicating their idea and putting together their EOI.
For the Spring Awards 2023, EOI's should be submitted on or before Tuesday 21 February 2023.
- Download the Updated Beyond Guidance and FAQ's document
- Download the Beyond Expression of Interest 22-23 Form
- Read more about the working groups process and how the trial model came about
- View an example completed EOI, submitted by Kirstin Halliday (Beyond Summer Award recipient)
Funding Awarded
We are happy that Beyond has awarded seed funding to two projects so far this year. The members and their supported projects are:
- Beyond: Summer Award – Kirstin Halliday with Anya Sirina- In the Gardens
- Beyond: Autumn Award – Collective Endeavours – SPRING! A Wee Open Floor Day - tickets on sale!
- Beyond: Winter Award - Nina Enemark with Anna Porubcansky - Empowered Bodies
- Beyond Spring Awards - To be announced soon!