You could receive £1,500 to bring a brilliant idea to life for Cardiff

People in Cardiff are being invited to apply for up to £1,500 to bring an exciting cultural project to life for the city. 

Cardiff City Centre

FOR Cardiff has reopened applications to their City Ambition Fund which provides the opportunity for residents, businesses, and community groups to bring their brilliant ideas for the city to life. 

Whether you’re passionate about promoting local culture, improving the city environment, or supporting independent businesses, the funding could be your chance to make a difference. 

Up to £1,500 grants are available for creative, impactful projects that will make Cardiff an even better place to live, work, and visit.  

Since the scheme was launched in 2022, 25 projects have been funded. These include Minty’s Gig Guide, the Loving Welsh Food tour and the Cardiff Wine Passport, the latter of which has injected more than £40,000 of revenue into city centre hospitality businesses since its pilot launch. 

Illustrator Jack Skivens received funding last year towards his first children's book. Night of the Animal Wall imagines what would happen if the animal statues on Cardiff Castle’s walls came alive at night. 

Jack Skivens Pictured With His Son

A free city-wide animal art trail was funded, allowing families to go on an adventure across Cardiff to find the animals who had escaped from the pages of Jack's tale. 

Jack said: “It was a dream of mine to create a children’s book that encourages people to enjoy the city centre together that would take the form of a trail around the city.  

“Receiving the funding opened all the doors to make this dream possible, it gave me the opportunity to talk to the right people. It gave me the support from a team of people who believed in the project and could help me realise it as well as grow the idea.

“The fund allowed me to engage with local businesses to help create the book advertisements and sculptures as well as websites to host the story. It also offered me the time to see it through.” 

Night Of The Animal Walk

He added: “I would recommend the City Ambition Fund to anyone who has an idea to do something great. It helped build my confidence and believe that others would enjoy my idea. The people I met through the fund were amazing and supported me through the project and beyond, it helped make my dream come true. 

“Since receiving the fund it has opened doors to more opportunities and without the funding the project may never have been fully explored. 

“I had so much fun working with FOR Cardiff working on something that had an impact on the city, I felt proud of the work I did and believed in myself moving forward.” 

Emily Cotterrill, associate director at FOR Cardiff, said: “The Cardiff City Ambition Fund invites individuals and organizations to submit project proposals for grants of up to £1,500. By supporting innovative initiatives that align with FOR Cardiff’s strategic goals, we aim to foster a more vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive city. Whether your passion lies in environmental projects, community engagement, or cultural enrichment, we encourage you to apply to the fund today.” 

The fund is open to applications until October 25, 2024. For more information visit the FOR Cardiff website.