Bursaries

Charlotte Horton - Potatohead

Each year, Brighton Fringe offers a series of bursaries in collaboration with various local, national and international organisations. We also have a range of Staff Bursaries, covering a whole range of genres. Bursaries ensure that those who may not normally take part in Brighton Fringe can do so.

Bursaries cover the cost of event registration alongside a variety of other forms of support; financial, mentoring or marketing. If you are awarded a bursary after you have paid your registration fee, you will be refunded in full.

Each bursary will have a different set of criteria you are required to meet to apply, set by the bursary provider. To apply for a bursary, you will be required to fill out a short application form explaining your eligibility for the bursary. If you require support to fill out the form, please contact our Artist & Venue Services Team at [email protected].

To ensure as many people can apply as possible, all bursary applications will remain open until Monday 3 February 2025. Announcements will be made on Friday 7 February 2025. We will update this page and send regular mailouts as and when bursaries are announced.

APPLICATIONS OPEN: WEDNESDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2024
DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: MONDAY 3rd FEBRUARY 2025
WINNERS ANNOUNCED: FRIDAY 7th FEBRUARY 2025

available bursaries

brighton Fringe 2025 Staff Bursaries

 

  • Amy's Children & Young People Bursary
  • Duncan's Artist with a Disability Bursary
  • Duncan's Artist of the Global Majority Bursary
  • Hannah's Musical Theatre Bursary
  • Megan's Comedy Work in Progress Bursary
  • Rich's Mental Health Bursary
  • Sarah's Cabaret & Variety Bursary
  • Vicky's LGBTQ+ Bursary

Every year, Brighton Fringe offer a number of bursaries to make the festival more accessible for those who otherwise wouldn't be able to take part. In the past two years, we introduced Brighton Fringe Staff Bursaries - a chance for our staff to offer a bursary around something they are passionate about.

all that bex 'everyone loves an underdog' bursary

Local legend and seasoned Fringe performer, Aiden Bex, is offering this bursary for any performer who might consider themselves an underdog. This could involve a lack of experience, no formal training, being relatively new to performing, and feeling a bit lost with how to run a successful show at Brighton Fringe.

Find out more about the criteria on the application form.

bird & blend - Communitea bursary 2025

The award is open to any artist, company or organisation whose Brighton Fringe show encompasses one of the following points: 

  • The event connects with a community theme/topic
  • Engages with a local community
  • Is organised by/or benefits a community group/ organisation 

More details can be found on the application form below.

bird & blend sustainabilitea bursary 2025

As Bird & Blend have grown over the years, they are proud to always try to keep people & the planet at the forefront of their decision making process. But they acknowledge they aren’t perfect - sustainability isn’t easy, it’s an ever evolving process. This bursary is for any artist, organisation or person trying to include sustainability in their event in any of the following ways:

  • Connects with Sustainability within their event 
  • Educates an audience surrounding sustainability topics
  • Considers sustainability within their event operations (e.g. travel, production etc) 

More details can be found on the application form below.

GOLD ARTS young artist BURSARY

Gold Arts are a trusted independent jewellers based in Brighton, Chichester and Eastbourne.  

Gold Arts are offering one bursary for Brighton Fringe 2025. The winner will receive:

  • A free registration for Brighton Fringe 2025.
  • A mention on all Gold Arts social channels.

Please note, artists will still need to arrange a venue to host the event independent of the bursary and secure a contract with said venue agreeing ticket split or hire fee.

Criteria:

  • At least one member of the company must be a Sussex resident
  • Artists must be aged 21 or under

THE LUKE ROLLASON MEMORIAL BURSARY

Luke Rollason isn't dead but he'd like to give you some free money, again. 

This is a bursary for anyone creating alternative comedy (ie, not traditional stand-up) whose background or identity is underrepresented in this genre. You could be an individual or a group, you could be a clown, drag artist, poet, musical comedian or something that totally defies description.

IF YOU REQUIRE A LARGE PRINT VERSION OF THIS FORM, PLEASE EMAIL [email protected]

Criteria:

  • Your work should be comedy. If you are not registering in the Comedy section of the brochure, please demonstrate that your work is sufficiently comedy-adjacent.  
  • Must be able to demonstrate that your work incorporates elements other than traditional stand-up. 
  • Must identify as a member of a community underrepresented within the comedy industry, including (but not limited to): Global Majority ethnicity groups, d/Deaf or disabled, neurodiverse, LGBTQ+ and/or working class.

Winners will receive:

  • We will pay the fee for your Brighton Fringe registration. For those already registered, we will reimburse.
  • A slot at a comedy industry showcase at KOMEDIA.
  • Free promotional photoshoot with Brighton photographer Rob Trendy.
  • Bespoke consultation with comedy agent Daisy Francis. 
  • Personal mentoring session with some Brighton Fringe veterans. 
  • Luke will buy you crisps/fizzy drinks if he remembers. 
  • More TBA.

Two runners-up will receive free registration, a slot at the showcase, personal mentoring and crisps.

Applications process:

Please fill in this application form by 5pm, 3rd Februrary 2025. Video and audio applications are also accepted – please send a link to these in the form when requested. 

The successful applicant will be selected by a panel of nice people in the comedy industry, cross-medium, but all with an interest in alternative comedy.

Deadline for applications: 5pm, 3rd February 2025. 

The winner will be informed: 7th February 2025 latest. Unsuccessful applicants will also be contacted by this date.

If you have any questions, or would like to speak to a member of the team about your application or access needs, then please do feel free to get in touch at [email protected]

Previous Winners:

2024 Winners: Beat Inflation with Sue The Cleaner by Liam Harney and This Is Not A Pyramid Scheme by Rachel Baker

2023 Winners: Banana Beard by Su Mi and Clementine by Rosalie Minnitt

2022 Winners: Eco-Maniac by Aruhan Galieva and Potatohead by Freddie Hayes

THE pebble trust YOUNG PEOPLE BURSARY 2025

Whilst The Pebble Trust is no longer funding the administrative organisation behind Brighton Fringe (Brighton Fringe Limited), they continue to support Brighton Fringe artists and the local arts ecosystem through their various bursary schemes. For the fourteenth year running, The Pebble Trust is supporting Brighton Fringe artists by offering three bursaries to young people wishing to put on an event. This could be in any category.

Offer:
The Pebble Trust will pick three winners who will each receive:

  • Brighton Fringe Registration fees paid by The Pebble Trust
  • £500 towards production costs. For example, the money could be used for venue or equipment hire, marketing, buying props etc.
  • Up to 6 hours of mentoring, split across 3 x 2 hour sessions with an industry professional.

Criteria:

  • This should be the applicant's first time at Brighton Fringe.
  • All those involved in the planned event should be residents of Sussex and aged 25 or under at the time of application. 
  • The event should be conceived, initiated, developed and produced entirely by the applicant(s). For example, projects led by a teacher or equivalent individual are not eligible.  

SOUTH EAST DANCE BURSARY

South East Dance are delighted to announce applications are open for the South East Dance Brighton Fringe Bursary for 2025.

The bursary is open to any artist or company whose Brighton Fringe show includes movement, dance or choreography.

The successful recipient will receive:

• Brighton Fringe entry fee paid for
• An artist support session with a producer at South East Dance
• In-kind marketing and social media support for your show at Brighton Fringe

This support is worth over £600

Criteria:

This bursary is for anyone who is presenting work at Brighton Fringe and who:

- Identifies as an artist who is under-represented in the cultural sector (please self-identify)

- Whose Brighton Fringe show includes movement, dance, or choreography.

- Is a professional artist- Can send us some footage of the work, this can be at whatever stage of development the show is - IE rehearsal footage or a  link to the full show online

You do not need to be a dance artist/company to apply, the lead art form might be cabaret, circus, burlesque, physical theatre etc.

Please note: this bursary is open to professional artists only (not students).

APPLICATIONS OPEN: WEDNESDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2024
DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: MONDAY 3rd FEBRUARY 2025

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: FRIDAY 7th FEBRUARY 2025

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