Thurrock Council and Creative Estuary are working in partnership as part of the Creative Estuary Place Partnership with investment from Arts Council England.   

The Thurrock Creative Infrastructure programme responds to our combined local knowledge of the current conditions and context for arts development and the Creative and Cultural Industries’ sector artists, creatives, and creative organisations. 

We are working together to increase the creative and cultural infrastructure of Thurrock by inspiring and supporting Thurrock based freelancers and creative businesses through a range of grants and bespoke skills development. This includes a creative development grant for 18–30-year-olds. 

What’s on offer?

Grant funding for creative practitioners is part of our Estuary-wide movement to support the Creative and Cultural Industries. 

We will support creative and cultural professionals that are individuals, registered sole traders or unincorporated groups. If you are applying as a group, one person should represent the group on your behalf. 

Applicants should be aged 18-30 years old and looking to grow their creative professional potential or have identified a need or a barrier that the grant will enable them to overcome. Allowing them to purchase resources, learn new skills, enhance their expertise or test new ways of working. 

We will provide 8 grants of up to £1000 to support the creative development of individuals. You can apply as a group with other practitioners if you have identified a shared need, skill, or resource that would allow you to individually or collectively improve. We expect this funding to support specific and costed activities that are required to develop the applicants’ professional practice and ensure future success.

All grant money is to be spent by December 2025.

How to apply

Fill in an application form and an EDI Monitoring Form, and return to info@creativeestuary.com by Sunday 17th August 2025 at 23.59pm

You can find the Thurrock Creative Development Grant Information Pack here

Grant Programme Information Sessions

We are offering 1 to 1 surgery sessions on Wednesday 23rd July for potential applicants. This will be an opportunity to find out more information about the programme and ask questions relating to the application, eligibility and ideas.  Please follow the link below to book a slot. 

Thurrock grants 1 to 1 sessions 

You can also contact us via email with any questions regarding the grants and application process: info@creativeestuary.com