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
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.
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.
The award is open to any artist, company or organisation whose Brighton Fringe show encompasses one of the following points:
More details can be found on the application form below.
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:
More details can be found on the application form below.
Talent Accelerator (De La Warr Pavilion) and Future Creators (Brighton Dome / Brighton Festival) are working together on the Coastal Catalyst project. The goal of this project is to improve access to creative industries for young people, working across a 100km stretch along the Sussex Coast between Bexhill and Bognor Regis. Read more here.
As part of this project, the Coastal Catalyst team want to support young creatives in putting on an event at Brighton Fringe 2025. We know that finances can be a huge barrier to putting on your own event, which is why we are offering a free registration, marketing support, and career advice to help you in that next step of your creative journey.
If you'd like to know more about Coastal Catalyst, Talent Accelerator or Future Creators, get in touch on [email protected].
For any access requirements, support in filling in this application form, or to submit your answers via video or voice recording, please contact us on [email protected].
Criteria:
Offer:
Encore Insure in conjunction with Brighton Fringe are very pleased to announce the www.encoreinsure.com Brighton Fringe Bursary Scheme to reflect their support of Fringe performance and the creative zeal of new makers to produce fantastic work without extortionate budgets.
The Offer:
3 winning events will have their Brighton Fringe 2025 registration fee reimbursed by www.encoreinsure.com
Criteria:
Your event must fall under one of the following categories:
Please visit our Insurance page or www.encoreinsure.com to learn more about our preferred Insurance Supplier and the cover you need for your Brighton Fringe event. www.encoreinsure.com is an online facility brought to you by Tysers.
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:
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:
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:
Winners will receive:
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
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:
Criteria:
This award is for writer / performers, actors, comedians who are doing their first solo theatre show. This can also include comedy, character work, storytelling and elements of cabaret but theatre is at the core of the show.
Criteria:
The winner will receive:
Application process:
1. Like @soloshowtreasurehunt @ktreddinclancy.
2. Post a reel on Instagram of WHY you’re doing your solo show.
3. Tag two performer friends in the caption, who you think should start creating a solo show ;-)!
4. Tag @soloshowtreasurehunt
5. Please fill out this form
6.. If you have any questions or would like to speak to a member of the team, please contact [email protected]
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).
Spark Arts Marketing & Project Management are offering this bursary for a theatre show with touring ambitions. Please complete the form below by Monday 3 February 2025 to submit your application.
Criteria:
- A theatre show
- Plans or ambitions to tour in the future
The winner will receive:
- A free event registration for Brighton Fringe 2025
- Marketing support for your Brighton Fringe 2025 show run
- Help towards creating a show marketing pack for a future tour
Visit the Spark Arts Marketing & Project Management website here.
Nik Coppin, winner of the 2024 Spirit of the Fringe Award is delighted to announce that applications are open for the Spirit of the Fringe Bursary for 2025, supported by Laughing Horse.
The successful recipient will receive:
- Brighton Fringe free registration
- Up to 3 performance slots at a Laughing Horse venue
- A number of promotional slots at our line-up shows including Pick of the Fringe, Best of Brighton Fringe Comedy, Shaggers and Brighton Belles
- A mentoring session with Nik Coppin and Alex Petty of Laughing Horse
Criteria:
The bursary is open to any female/female identifying comedian doing their first ever solo show at Brighton Fringe 2025.
Talking to the Box Office...
