Metallic Fund to award over £60,000 in grants to young British Black creatives

The Metallic Fund, now in its third year, is accepting applications from young Black creatives and business owners who “possess a strong creative vision and plan”, a release explains. This year, it will award over £60,000 in grants, available at varying tiers of funding. There are a total of 12 grants available, starting at six grants of £2,500 each and ranging to one grant of £20,000. The fund also extends beyond financial support, offering education and mentorship as a “key component” of the programme.

Metallic Fund is accepting applicants from UK-based Black creatives between the ages of 18 and 34; it is strongly encouraging applicants from LGBTQIA+ communities. As music, fashion and film are focal areas for the organisation, the website highlights that applicants should have direct links to these industries and be looking for support on a specific creative project. Applications are open until 8 March.

Since launching in 2020, the Metallic Fund has awarded over £150k to emerging UK creatives. Past recipients of the fund include Black British radio station No Signal and designers Feben and Vivendii. The fund was established by the global culture studio Metallic Inc; its founders include Grace LaDoja MBE – who also helms Homecoming, an organisation facilitating cultural exchange between Africa and the world – and Alex Sossah, founder of new-age design studio SuperSolid.

Mentorship has consistently been a focal point for the fund, with past mentors including industry figureheads Virgil Abloh, Martine Rose, Carlos Nazario and Caroline Simounescu.

Alex Sossah says of the program: “We wanted to create a Fund that looks like us. It was vital to have a program that allows people to identify with us. The Fund has always been about bringing people together, collaborating and supporting the next generation of Black creative talent”. Grace LaDoja MBE adds: “Community is the DNA of Metallic. We want The Fund to be visible to the community outside of the people that know us personally, the community that are in the UK doing amazing things and want to get support from a company that is Black owned and has an amazing network around it that can nurture them through mentorship”.

Potential applicants can find more information on how to apply here.