I’ve been reading the same headlines you have: private foundations closing their doors to new applicants, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of requests versus the limited funds they can offer.
And I get it. Reviewing hundreds (or in our case, thousands) of applications takes extraordinary care and time. Every application form represents a story, a dream, a person or a community trying to make something beautiful happen. By the end of this month, I will have personally read and longlisted over 800 applications. My colleague Emma — over 1,000. And it’s the second time we have done this in the last six months.
It’s an immense responsibility. But it’s also a privilege.
In a climate of public funding cuts and real-terms decreases in spending on education, arts, and culture, the volume of requests is hardly surprising. What did surprise us, in our first open call, was seeing applications not just from emerging creatives, but from major UK arts institutions — a clear sign of how deep the funding challenges run.
It would be easy, perhaps even logical, to respond by tightening our guidelines or closing our doors. When the odds of success drop to 1–3%, why keep inviting more heartbreak?
Because this is what we do.
At The Hugo Burge Foundation, we believe that creativity deserves to breathe — not be stifled by bureaucracy. Closing our fund or narrowing its scope would go against everything we stand for. So instead, we’re doing the opposite.
We’re making our application process simpler and faster.
We’re removing reporting requirements.
We’re offering unrestricted grants, built on trust.
We’re increasing the funds available for 2026
If someone we fund spends hours filling out forms or producing reports purely for our benefit, that’s time and energy stolen from their creative work. We’d rather carry that burden ourselves.
We don’t want artists and organisations to guess what we’re looking for. Don’t tailor your project to fit us. Tell us what burns at the core of what you do. Tell us what matters to you, and how it touches others.
If you’re an artist developing your practice for the sake of creating great art — please, apply.
If you’re part of a community using creativity to bring people together — please, apply.
Yes, we’re new. And yes, seasoned funders may roll their eyes at our optimism. But optimism is part of our DNA.
When I stepped into this role, I committed to leading with courage, heart, and sustainability — building a foundation that will still be here in 200 years. If that means longer nights reading applications, so be it. We’ll take that weight, so others don’t have to.
