£1 million Genesis Kickstart Fund
A total of 95 projects supported
Over 1000 freelancers involved in projects that span all genres of the arts
Projects are located in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
In October 2020, the Genesis Foundation announced the Genesis Kickstart Fund, a £1 million fund launched by John Studzinski CBE, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation. It was designed to enable outstanding freelance artists to stay on their career paths and explore new possibilities in a world radically altered by Covid-19.
John Studzinski CBE said: “The Genesis Kickstart Fund grew out of our response to the pandemic, but we have always been looking to the longer term. Beyond enabling paid work on worthwhile, innovative projects, the grants are about nurturing resourcefulness and resilience – and developing ideas and momentum in a dramatically changed environment.
“As we finally emerge from two years of Covid-19, our lives are now being shaken by a war. The creative community faces the prospect of a new and precarious world order and punishing economic pressures. The Kickstart Fund clearly continues to have an important job to do. It has already mitigated society’s risk of losing outstanding creative talent through lack of opportunity, and it will continue to encourage some of today’s most inspiring artists to create the cultural memory of tomorrow.”
In addition to the £10,000 grant (£20,000 for the freelancers in projects led by Genesis partners) the freelancers involved gained access to Genesis Connects, a network to enable artists and producers to meet, foster new collaborations and benefit from mentoring opportunities. The grants awarded applied to projects running for a maximum of two years which were completed by March 2023. On completion, the impact of all projects were assessed according to the following criteria: quality, innovation, value for money and benefit to society.
The Advisory Council
The Genesis Kickstart Fund was steered by its Advisory Council, which includes over 30 distinguished artistic leaders.
The members of the Advisory Council, chaired by John Studzinski, contributed in a variety of ways. Some scouted high-quality, inclusive, and innovative artistic projects to involve freelance creative professionals across the UK, while others selected the most promising and relevant projects to receive grants of £10,000 and up. Certain members of the council also mentored the freelance creatives who had received project grants.
The members of the Council, assigned to disciplinary sub-committees, were as follows:
Theatre & Film
Samuel Barnett – Actor, Genesis LAMDA Scholar
Barbara Broccoli OBE – Producer, EON Productions – SPECIAL ADVISER
Benedict Cumberbatch CBE – Actor, LAMDA President
Rupert Goold CBE – Artistic Director, Almeida Theatre
Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE – Artistic Director, Young Vic Theatre
David Lan CBE – Writer, Theatre Producer
Rufus Norris – Artistic Director, National Theatre
Abubakar Salim – Actor, Genesis LAMDA Scholar
Abdul Shayek – Artistic Director and Joint CEO, Tara Arts
Dame Janet Suzman – Actor, LAMDA Vice-President
Music
Harry Christophers CBE – Founder and Conductor, The Sixteen
Polly Graham – Artistic Director, Longborough Festival Opera; Genesis Opera Director
Tanya Joseph – Board Member, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir James MacMillan CBE – Composer
Kathryn McDowell CBE – Managing Director, London Symphony Orchestra
Jamie Njoku-Goodwin – Chief Executive, UK Music
Marie-Sophie Willis – Chief Executive, The Sixteen
–
Dance
Farooq Chaudhry OBE – Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Akram Khan Company
Stina Quagebeur – Dancer and Choreographer, English National Ballet
Art/ Photography
Michael Armitage – Artist
Emma Bowkett – Director of Photography, FT Magazine
Chris Levine – Artist
Frances Morris – Director, Tate Modern
Renee Odjidja – Curator: Youth Programmes, Whitechapel Gallery
Grayson Perry CBE RA – Artist – SPECIAL ADVISER
Rebecca Salter PRA – President, Royal Academy of Arts
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA – Artist
Arts Leaders and Champions
Harriet Capaldi – Managing Director, Genesis Foundation
Jan Dalley – Arts Editor, Financial Times
Jemma Read – Head of Philanthropy, Bloomberg
John Studzinski CBE – Founder and Chairman, Genesis Foundation
Veronica Wadley, Baroness Fleet – Chair, Department for Education’s Expert Panel for the Model Music Curriculum
Read the GKF Phase 1 press announcement
