Published: 17 Jun 2025 10 views
The Black Heart Art programme aims to provide financial scholarships to underrepresented and under-resourced young people for arts education, empowering the next generation of diverse arts talent.
The art sector remains one of the UK’s most overwhelmingly underrepresented industries, with only 18.2% of the music, performing and visual arts workforce coming from working class backgrounds and just 2.7% of the UK’s art sector come from Black, Asian and other ethnically diverse backgrounds. The UK government has also recently announced that its moving ahead with plans to cut funding for art and design courses by 50% across higher education institutions in England, further widening the gap to participation for many young people.
By providing diverse young talent with funding to pursue their artistic talent, we hope to ensure more equitable opportunities for all to create and experience the arts, no matter their background. Education is key to growth, and as money is the primary barrier to entry in the arts, by removing this barrier, it starts to chip away at the exclusionary way things have always been done in the art world and change the narrative to create greater inclusion.
Financial support toward tuition, course fees, and/or educational expenses
Covers a wide range of study types – from formal education to experiential or community-based learning
Open to all education levels – from preparatory to postgraduate
No fixed amount – award values are tailored based on individual financial need
Increased access to education for underrepresented and under-resourced individuals
Support for studying in the UK, US, and other education-limited regions
Specialised Art Scholarship offers targeted support for aspiring artists in visual, performing, or design arts
Open to all education levels (preparatory, undergraduate, postgraduate, etc.)
Open to all fields of study (including a dedicated Art Scholarship for arts-related courses)
Applicants must demonstrate clear financial need
Must align with the Foundation’s mission to support underrepresented and under-resourced individuals
Applications accepted from the UK, US, and other regions with limited access to education
Must submit a personal summary (max 1200 words) explaining your educational plans, alignment with the Foundation’s goals, and financial need
Apply via the online portal or downloadable application form
Applications accepted twice yearly (Cohort 1: Mar–Aug, Cohort 2: Aug–Oct)
Only successful applicants will be contacted
To apply to the Black Heart Foundation Art Scholarship Programme, please visit our application portal. As part of the application we request a personal summary of no more than 1200 words providing a brief outline of the educational activity for which you seek a scholarship, outlining how the scholarship would align with the aims of The Black Heart Foundation and presenting a clear case of financial need. Take care to complete all of the sections in the application before submitting. You are able to save drafts and come back to your application.
For more details, visit the Black Heart Art Programme Scholarship webpage
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