£165,000 grants available through Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Teacher Development Fund
Paul Hamlyn Foundation is inviting applications from partnerships of arts and cultural organisations and groups of six to ten state-sector primary schools across the UK for projects running over two academic years.
The Teacher Development Fund supports primary teachers to develop arts-based approaches that create more equitable classrooms and help children to learn and thrive.
Grants of up to £165,000 are available, with either a primary school or an arts or cultural organisation able to act as the lead applicant. Each partnership must include one or more arts or cultural organisations and between six and ten schools.
Participating schools can include mainstream, specialist SEND and Alternative Provision settings working with primary-age children, while all schools involved must operate in the state sector. Each school is normally expected to involve at least two teachers and one senior leader, although some flexibility is available for small rural schools.
The fund is designed to support sustained professional learning rather than one-off arts activity. Teachers and artist practitioners are expected to work together through approaches including CPD, co-teaching, coaching, mentoring, shared planning and reflective practice.
Projects should focus on how arts-based approaches can improve equity in schools, particularly for pupils experiencing systemic inequity, and should examine the impact of professional learning on teachers’ practice and pupils’ learning.
A wide range of art forms is eligible, including music, opera, theatre and drama, dance, visual arts, film, photography, creative writing, crafts, design and digital arts and media.
Arts-based approaches can be used across the curriculum, from literacy and humanities to STEM subjects, as well as in areas such as critical thinking, communication skills and mental health and wellbeing. Paul Hamlyn Foundation says it does not prioritise one art form or curriculum area over another.
More than 450 schools have already taken part in the Teacher Development Fund. Successful grant holders also join a wider community of practice, with support including live and online events and coaching sessions.
Applications are being invited through a two-stage process. First-stage applications must be submitted by 12 noon on 11 November 2026, with applicants due to hear before 10 December whether they have been invited to progress.
Those reaching the second stage must submit a full application by 12 noon on 20 January 2027, with final funding decisions expected by the end of March.
The Foundation also offers an access support bursary of up to £750 where the application process is inaccessible to an applicant.