Incentivising Touring Scheme: Repayable Grants for Theatre and Dance, Round 2

About the Open Call

USER NOTIFICATION: We are working hard to minimise disruption to you while our grant management system is unavailable. We are in the process of setting up alternative application processes and services, and we will continue to regularly update our website with more information that will support you during this interim period. The Incentivising Touring: Repayable Grants for Theatre and Dance scheme aims to enable more high-quality dance and theatre productions to tour, give boards and investors increased confidence and incentive to support tours, give venues and producers the ability to create, tour and programme a greater range of work, and provide audiences with more opportunities to see a range of quality dance and theatre productions at scale. This pilot was co-designed with representatives from across the industry. Applicants can apply for up to 25% of their production’s capitalisation costs, with a maximum of £500,000. Investment is available for new productions (new work or new revival) or remounted productions for a new or first tour, encompassing plays, text-based, physical and visual theatre forms, musicals, and circus. The money received is a repayable grant; Arts Council England is repaid after other investors once capitalisation costs are recouped. If costs are not fully recouped, part or all of the grant may be retained by the applicant. £2.9 million is available for this second round of the pilot. Key Dates: The deadline for applying for round two is midday on 30 September 2025 with applicants notified of decisions by 3 November 2025. For your tour to be eligible, the first day of rehearsals must start no earlier than 1 December 2025; the tour must commence no later than 1 December 2027 and must end no later than 30 November 2028. You must book a 10-minute conversation with a member of the Incentivising Touring team before 5 September 2025 and it must take place before 12 September 2025.

What is Offered

Repayable grants of up to £500,000 for theatre and dance productions, covering up to 25% of capitalisation costs. A total of £2.9 million is available for this round. The grant enables the creation and touring of new or remounted productions, providing financial support that is repaid after other investors once capitalisation costs are recouped, with flexibility if full recoupment is not achieved.

Requirements

Applicants must be UK-based, publicly funded, commercial, or independent theatre and dance producers. Organizations must be registered in the UK with Companies House and/or the Charity Commission, and possess a UK bank account in their own name. National Portfolio Organizations (NPOs) and Transfer Organizations are eligible, as are collaborative or co-production efforts (with one lead applicant). Eligible tours include new productions (new work or new revival) or remounted productions for a new or first tour, encompassing dance, plays (text-based, physical, visual theatre), musicals, and circus. Productions must tour to permanent, ticketed performance venues with a minimum of 500 seats. A minimum of four venues must be in England, outside inner London, and not owned by the applicant or its parent company. Other venues can include those in inner London, other UK nations, or international locations. For Round 2, rehearsals must start no earlier than 1 December 2025, the tour must commence no later than 1 December 2027, and end no later than 30 November 2028. The mandatory tour budget and recoupment schedule must demonstrate that, with ACE investment, recoupment will be achieved at between 55% and 75% of box office receipts across the tour, and a profit should be forecasted by the end of the tour.

How to Apply

Applicants must first have a mandatory 10-minute conversation with a member of the Incentivising Touring team, booked by 5 September 2025 and taking place by 12 September 2025 (booking opens 10 July 2025 by emailing incentivisingtouring@artscouncil.org.uk). After this conversation, an email with instructions and a link to the application form (an MS Form) will be sent. The form will include three narrative questions. Applicants will also need to send a budget and recoupment schedule (excel spreadsheet) and a completed General and Monitoring Information Form (word document). Applications open on 1 September 2025 and close at midday on 30 September 2025. While the primary application is via MS Form due to system challenges, applicants should create a Grantium User Account and Applicant Profile if they don't have one, as approval can take up to 10 working days.