Charitable organisations in Rugby could receive grants of up to £30,000 to help young people and underserved communities break into creative careers, as Amazon relaunches its Regional Creatives Fund for 2026.
The scheme, first established by the online retail giant in 2025, supports UK charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs) and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) running programmes that help people access jobs in fields such as music, TV, gaming, fashion, photography, journalism and comedy.
Applications opened this week and will close on 2 August 2026. Rugby-based charities can apply individually for grants of up to £30,000, while consortiums of organisations from the same region can bid for up to £100,000 in combined funding.
To qualify, groups must already be running an established programme aimed at upskilling people from underserved communities for creative industry careers, and must be able to show how the grant would help expand, sustain or develop that existing work, whether through studio placements, music production training or portfolio-building support.
The fund covers a broad range of creative sectors, including music, performing arts, film and TV, gaming and digital design, publishing, fashion and craft, and comedy.
Alongside the funding, successful applicants will also gain access to pro bono support from Amazon’s creative teams, including mentoring, work experience and digital training delivered by professionals from Amazon Music, Prime Video and Amazon Games.
Applications will be reviewed by an independent panel featuring senior figures from Amazon, the National Theatre, BAFTA, Arts Council England, NI Screen, Creative Wales, Help Musicians and Audible, among others. Bids will be judged on their impact, feasibility, focus on inclusion, and how well they build on work already under way.
This year’s fund was launched at the National Theatre in London by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who said the scheme reflected the government’s ambition to spread access to creative jobs across the country. She described it as a scheme that invests directly in people’s potential, developed in partnership with Amazon following talks at the Greater Together LA conference.
Amazon’s VP and CFO for Global Entertainment, James Dibbo, said the company remained committed to backing the UK’s creative industries and building opportunities for people regardless of where they start out in life.
The relaunch comes as Amazon continues to expand its presence in the UK’s creative economy. The company has previously announced £40 billion of investment in the UK over three years, including plans to redevelop Bray Film Studios, and currently employs more than 2,000 people across its books, film, TV, sport, music and fashion divisions.
Amazon also runs a number of other UK-wide creative and literacy initiatives, including the Amazon Literary Partnership, which supports writing organisations across the UK and Ireland, and the Literacy Champions programme, delivered with the National Literacy Trust, which trains volunteers to run reading and storytelling sessions in schools and communities as part of the National Year of Reading 2026.
Rugby charities interested in applying for the Regional Creatives Fund can find full details and judging criteria at https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/community/amazon-regional-creatives-fund.
Applications are open today here and close on 2nd August 2026.
