People in Jersey are being encouraged to apply for funding to take life changing cultural experiences off-Island.
The Rivington Fund, formally known as the Rivington Travelling Scholarship, is a Trust that provides funding to Jersey residents who could not otherwise afford to travel off-Island to cultivate their passion for arts, crafts or history.
Those who might ordinarily find cost a barrier to such an experience are encouraged to visit the website and submit an application for support.
The Rivington Fund’s objectives are threefold: to broaden experiences of art, crafts and history by travelling off-Island; to develop artistic skills through attending international events; and improve applicants’ quality of life through art experiences specific to individual needs.
Those who think they may qualify for this kind of financial support must be Jersey residents and have an interest in the arts, crafts or history. Applicants must be able to outline their trip in detail, demonstrate their passion and reasoning for the trip, propose a realistic budget and commit to sharing their journey with us so we can apply the generated content for further promotion of the fund.
The Rivington Fund recognises that applicants may need assistance in putting together an application, and help is available for anyone who requires support in making an application.
Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis. The submission deadlines are, 1st May, 1st August, 1st November and 1st February.
The history of the fund
In 2002, Jersey resident Mr William Charles Richmond-Pickering bequeathed a portion of his estate to the States of Jersey to enable interested Jersey residents to travel abroad in order to enhance their appreciation of culture (art, craft and/or history).
The fund is managed by the Government of Jersey, with administration supported by ArtHouse Jersey and is available to those who require financial support to make such a trip possible.
Open to everyone
In the past the fund has enabled applicants to enjoy Finland’s modernist architecture, to visit the Tokyo Folk Craft Museum and even to travel to New Zealand to explore the works of Frances Hodgkins and Dame Eileen Mayo. The Fund can help individuals wanting to learn more about a certain area of the arts for education reasons. Equally, a family who have always wanted to take in a show at the West End but could never afford such a cost could apply. All arts, culture and history related trips will be carefully considered, whether for an individual or a group.
The fund simply asks that applicants are honest about the support they need and provide an as accurate a budget as possible for us to review.
The Rivington Fund would also wholeheartedly encourage charities and educators to consider their clients and pupils as potential recipients of this funding. Should they identify someone who has a passion or keen interest in the arts and who would benefit from taking an exciting journey somewhere to experience something special, we ask them to refer them to the website www.rivington.je where they will be guided through the process online.
Deputy Kirsten Morel, Assistant Minister with Responsibility for Arts, Culture and Heritage for Government of Jersey and Trustee of The Rivington Fund said: “The Rivington Fund has the potential to help benefit so many people in Jersey. Cultural experiences are not only valuable in their own right but have the potential to inspire and even change the course of lives. Mr Richmond-Pickering clearly believed in the value of access to art and history further afield and that people’s financial circumstances should not be a barrier to that.
“It’s important that people in Jersey are aware of the availability of this fantastic fund and who can benefit. I’d urge anyone to head to the website which will tell you all you need to know.”
Click here to visit the website and submit an application for support
