New micro-funding opportunity to help low-income, early-career creatives make a research pilgrimage to visit exhibitions, artworks, or other arts events, in the Midlands region.
About Pilgrim’s Art Postcard (PAP)
Creative can apply to the Pilgrim’s Art Postcard (PAP) to cover minor travel and subsistence expenses. PAP supports low-income early-career creatives, to journey to exhibitions, artworks, or other arts events in the Midlands, the central area of England.
PAP aims to support creatives to learn from, and find inspiration in, artworks and exhibitions that they would not otherwise have been able to visit.
As a not-for-profit Community interest company, No Jobs in the Arts CIC support early-career creatives in the Midlands. PAP is formed from savings accrued through No Jobs in the Arts CIC services and generous community donations. Please help to sustain PAP by making a donation today and enable us reach are £250 fundraising target. To kick things off, No Jobs in the Arts has allocated £250 of savings to PAP.
Documentation from successful pilgrimages will be shared on Instagram and Facebook. Anyone who makes a donation to the fundraiser will receive updates via email.
Information follows on this page for 2025 PAP applicants (scroll down).
What could PAP applicants receive?
Successful applicants will be remunerated for expenses up to £25 relating to their art pilgrimage. The fund can be used for UK travel, subsistence (includes food, drink, and any other necessary costs of traveling), admission costs, and the purchase of a postcard and a 2nd class stamp – to document and share the pilgrimage with No Jobs in the Arts, and their supporters.
PAP can only be used to pay for the entirety of a proposed journey. The PAP cannot be used for retrospective expenses. Sustainable travel, where possible, is encouraged for all pilgrimages. To maximise the ability of PAP to assist as many pilgrims as possible, value for money will be sought.
Who can apply to PAP?
Early-career creatives in a visual arts discipline, working, studying, living, making, or visiting in or around the Midlands may apply (the central part of England). No Jobs in the Arts use no single criteria to define what an early-career creative is, nor do they means test income; so, it is up to the creative to decide if submitting to the opportunity and exploring the Midlands is beneficial to them.
Successful applicants are only eligible to receive a single grant award from PAP. Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply in succeeding rounds.
Successful applicants are responsible for their own tax affairs and payments with HM Revenue and Customs. If they receive benefits and/or any other financial support, it is the applicant’s responsibility to check whether any payments will affect their entitlement(s).
When to apply to PAP?
PAP submissions will open and close dependent on availability of funds and number of applications received. When PAP is open for submissions, an application form will be visible at the bottom of this page. The opening of PAP for submissions will be announced first on No Jobs in the Arts’ newsletter.
How to apply to PAP?
When the fund is open, use the application form below. Send 50 words outlining the proposed pilgrimage. Please also provide date(s) when the pilgrimage will take place, a rough breakdown of the pilgrimage cost, basic contact details, and a supporting link illustrating the applicants creative practice.
What has any of this got to do with a Postcard?
No jobs in the arts have sought to enhance the presence of early-career creatives in archives and collections. To share and document their journeys, they propose creating a postcard to commemorate the pilgrimage, forming a PAP collection. Historically, people sent postcards to one another during long journeys, creating a reflective moment and a tangible keepsake. This initiative aims to capture the experiences of these emerging artists, creating a unique and personal record of their activities.
The sending of a postcard to No Jobs in the Arts is optional but encouraged, providing both successful and unsuccessful applicants a way to reflect on and document their creative journeys.
What happens after applicants submit to PAP?
No Jobs in the Arts will contact applicants to tell them the outcome of their application. The team will aim to do this as quickly as possible following an application being received. Please allow up to four weeks for notification.
What if applicants are unsuccessful to PAP?
Applicants can re-submit during the next round if unsuccessful. No Jobs in the Arts welcome seeing documentation from all proposed pilgrimages, not just those that they have been able to support through the fund.
What if applicants are successful to PAP?
Successful applicants will be expected to:
- Submit receipts of expenses and an invoice.
- Report to No Jobs in the Arts about the pilgrimage, by postcard (optional).
Receipts and report must be submitted within one month of the trip taking place. The intention is to share documentation of pilgrimages online with our creative community and supporters.
If applicants need help with PAP?
If applicants have any questions about The Pilgrim’s Art Postcard Fund, please contact the No Jobs in the Arts team.
Application Form for the Pilgrim’s Art Postcard (PAP):
To be notified when the next funding round opens, please sign up to the newsletter.
If applicants have any issues with this form, or would like to make a submission in an alternative format (video/audio), please contact the No Jobs in the Arts team.