WIREDGOV

We yesterday announced Round 24 of Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP), our funding programme that supports individual creative and cultural practitioners to focus on their career development.  We’ve updated our programme guidance and supporting resources to reflect what we’ve heard from you. We’re excited to share the improvements we’ve made, ahead of Round 24 opening for applications in June 2026.

We know the positive impact that DYCP can make to individual practitioners and we remain committed to funding as many individuals as possible.

Over the past year, we have spoken to DYCP users to understand the needs of individuals and how we can improve their application experience. 

You can read more about the feedback we received, and changes we have made in response to this, below.

What you said: The current DYCP guidance can feel like guesswork.

What we’ve done:

We’ve improved the DYCP webpage to help you on your application journey and to allow you to decide if DYCP is the right fund for you.

We’ve provided the guidance in a variety of different formats, so you have a version that works for you.

We’ve provided more examples to help you think about your answers to why now is the right time for a development opportunity, and what future opportunities your activity could lead to. 

What you said: The guidance doesn’t help me know if my idea meets the aims of the fund or the level of preparation required for a DYCP application.

What we’ve done:

Many of the applications we receive are either not ready to be funded or DYCP is not the right fund for the idea. We have updated our online ‘Are you ready to apply?’ tool to help you check if you’re ready to submit an application. This short quiz will provide you with information on what actions you should take to plan an application and some helpful tips to tell if your application is ready.

The application questions haven’t changed, and you can still download a copy of the questions before the portal opens, so you can prepare your answers offline. 

What you said: It isn’t clear what a good application looks like.

What we’ve done: 

We’ve explained what we think about when we read DYCP applications, so you know what we’re looking for as decision makers.  

We’ve clarified what we expect from a letter of support. It should come from someone who has been involved in your career, understands the development opportunity you’re applying for and can explain the future opportunities this activity may create.  

We’ve improved the visibility of DYCP case studies on our webpage so you can hear directly from previously funded applicants. 

So, what’s next?

Round 24 of DYCP will open for applications at midday, Thursday 4 June, with the window for applications closing Thursday 2 July. Decisions will be communicated to applicants by Thursday 8 October.

Before opening for applications, we will deliver a DYCP webinar so you can learn more about the fund, what ‘ready to apply’ looks like and what we look for in a good DYCP application. Keep an eye on the DYCP webpage for further details.

Thinking about applying? Use our ‘Are you ready to apply?’ tool and access the updated DYCP guidance.