Artist Access Support Explained Simply

Every funding round I meet artists who think the problem is them.

They tell me they can’t organise their thoughts. They keep rewriting the same paragraph. They lose track of their ideas halfway through an application. They open the form, feel overwhelmed, then quietly close the laptop and promise themselves they’ll try again tomorrow.

After twenty minutes of talking, it usually becomes clear that the problem isn’t their project.

The barrier is the application process itself.

That is exactly why Access Support exists.

One of the biggest misconceptions we come across is that Access Support is only for people with visible disabilities or formal diagnoses.

In practice, many artists use it because they process information verbally, struggle to organise complex applications, experience fatigue, or need adjustments that allow them to communicate their ideas more effectively.

The focus is on the barrier, not the label.

What is Access Support?

Many arts funders recognise that the application process creates barriers for some artists. That’s why they offer Access Support, or access funding, alongside their grants.

While every funder works slightly differently, the principle is the same. Access Support pays for the additional help you need to participate in the application process or deliver your project on more equal terms.

One of the best known examples is Arts Council England’s Access Support. It sits alongside your funding application, does not come out of your project budget, and does not reduce your chances of being funded.

Before applying, always check the guidance for the fund you’re applying to, as eligibility and the support available can vary.

Who is it for?

Access Support is available if you experience barriers that make applying more difficult.

That might include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, chronic illness, mental health conditions, physical disabilities or other access needs. Your barriers may be permanent, fluctuating or temporary.

The question isn’t, “Am I disabled enough?”

It’s, “What is making this process harder for me, and what support would help?”

In most cases, Arts Council England asks you to explain your barriers in your own words. The focus is on understanding your access needs, not asking you to prove them.

What can Access Support be used for?

Every artist works differently, so the support should too.

Sometimes it’s practical. Someone taking notes because listening and writing at the same time isn’t realistic. Someone breaking a large application into manageable stages. Someone helping organise pages of scattered notes into a clear structure.
Sometimes it’s about communication. Talking ideas through before writing. Understanding the guidance. Planning a realistic timeline. Working out what you’re actually trying to say before you start filling in boxes.
Sometimes it’s emotional.

Opening an application can trigger anxiety, perfectionism or complete shutdown. I’ve worked with artists who have avoided applying for years because every attempt ended in overwhelm. Once the right support was in place, they realised the barrier had never been the quality of their work.

The support should fit the barrier, not the other way around.

“We quickly established a productive way of working through verbal processing and reflection. Sarah challenged my thinking while completely understanding the way I work.”

What Access Support is not

One of the biggest misunderstandings I come across is that Access Support pays someone to write your application. It doesn’t.

Your project remains your project. Your ideas remain your ideas.

Good Access Support doesn’t replace your voice. It helps you communicate.

I often describe it as scaffolding rather than ghost writing. The structure supports you while you build. The work itself is still yours.

Who can provide Access Support?

You choose the person who supports you.

That might be a mentor, support worker, artist, curator, peer or another professional you trust.

The most important thing isn’t their job title. It’s whether they understand how you work and can help remove the barriers you’re experiencing.

Common misconceptions

“It will reduce my chances of getting funding.”

No.

Access Support is separate from the assessment of your application. Requesting it does not make your proposal less competitive.

“It comes out of my project budget.”

No.

Access Support sits alongside your funding request. It exists so you don’t have to choose between getting the support you need and delivering your project.

“Someone else probably needs it more.”

Access Support exists because different artists experience different barriers.

If it helps you participate more equally in the process, it is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

“I should be able to do this on my own.”

This is probably the sentence I hear most often.

Needing support doesn’t say anything about the quality of your ideas.

It says something about whether the application process has been designed around the way you think, communicate and work.

Those are very different things.

How do you apply?

Access Support is requested before you submit your funding application.

You’ll be asked to explain the barriers you experience, the support you need and who will provide that support.

The process is designed to understand what will help you take part, not to judge whether your barriers are real.

How APS supports artists

After supporting hundreds of artists through Access Support, one pattern appears again and again.

Very few people need someone to write their application.

Most need space to think.

They need someone to ask the right questions, untangle ideas that have become knotted together, explain guidance in plain English and help organise a project into something they can communicate with confidence.

That is what I do.

I don’t write applications for artists.

I help artists find clarity.

“Sarah knew exactly what questions to ask, helping me break everything down, clarify my thinking and write a much stronger application.”

For some artists that means developing the project before a single word is written.

For others it means verbal processing because speaking is easier than writing. It might be breaking a large application into manageable stages, building a realistic timeline or simply having someone alongside you so the process doesn’t become overwhelming.

The support adapts to the way you work, not the other way around.

Some artists arrive with a clear project but struggle to articulate it. Others have pages of notes with no obvious structure. Some have avoided applying for years because every attempt has ended in frustration.

My role is to help you communicate your own thinking, without changing your voice.

The project remains yours. The decisions remain yours. We’re there to provide structure, challenge, accountability and support throughout the process.

“What felt like a really daunting process became much more manageable, and I came away feeling more confident in both my application and my practice.”

Final thoughts

I’ve watched too many artists decide they weren’t ready when what they actually needed was the right support.

Access Support isn’t there because your ideas need improving.

It’s there because the barrier isn’t your creativity.

It’s the application process.

If the way you think, communicate or process information makes funding applications harder, you don’t have to force yourself through them alone.

Access Support exists for exactly that reason.

Call to action?

Email for DYCP support for the next round? Please note I can only support a limited number of people so it’s advised to enquire early.

Need mentoring to explore if Access is the right option for you?

Applying for funding and need a support worker?