Amazon reopens Regional Creatives Fund with £30,000 grants for UK charities
Howard Lake | 22 July 2026 | News
UK charitable organisations, Community Interest Companies (CICs), and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) can now apply for funding to help upskill individuals for careers in the creative industries.
Amazon has reopened its Regional Creatives Fund for 2026, offering individual grants of up to £30,000. Regional consortiums applying jointly can access funding of up to £100,000.
Launched by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy at The National Theatre in London, the fund supports projects designed to widen access to creative industry career pathways for people in underserved communities.
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Eligible sectors and criteria
Small to mid-size charitable organisations registered in the UK that already run existing upskilling programmes are eligible to apply. Applicants must demonstrate that the grant will expand, sustain, or adapt an established initiative making a proven difference.
The fund covers a broad range of creative sectors, including:
- Music (performance, production, and business)
- Performing arts and live events
- Screen and audio (film, TV, radio, and podcasting)
- Digital and interactive (gaming, XR, and AI tools)
- Publishing and communications (books, journalism, and PR)
- Fashion, craft, and visual arts
- Comedy (writing, stand-up, and performance)
- Cross-disciplinary projects
Proposals will be evaluated across five core areas: creative purpose, real impact, achievable delivery plans, inclusion of underrepresented voices, and sustainability of existing programmes.
Pro bono industry support
Beyond direct grant funding, successful applicants will gain access to pro bono support from Amazon’s internal creative network. This includes mentoring, work placements, digital training, and staff upskilling delivered by professionals from Amazon Music, Prime Video, Amazon Games, and Audible.
An independent judging panel, featuring representatives from BAFTA, Arts Council England, The National Theatre, Help Musicians, and Amazon, will determine the final award recipients.
The fund previously supported Slough-based charity Beat Routes with a £10,000 grant in 2025. Katie Nutt from Beat Routes noted that the funding helped sustain a year-round employment pathway for over 300 young people facing barriers to the music industry.
Charitable organisations interested in applying for funding or learning more about the criteria can submit their proposals through the Amazon Regional Creatives Fund online portal. The deadline for applications is 2 August 2026.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.