Didymus

Didymus is a small grant-making charity founded in 2013 to widen access to and participation in the arts, supporting UK-registered charities that deliver high-quality, inclusive creative projects enriching disadvantaged groups. Established by Revd Dr Daphne Mary Green and trustees, its mission centers on removing barriers to arts engagement, fostering social inclusion, education, equality, diversity, and religious understanding through participatory arts interventions. With over £2 million awarded, Didymus emphasizes proactive, impact-driven funding for sustained creative programs, primarily in Greater London and Yorkshire, occasionally extending to other UK regions or Africa/Central/South America via UK charities.

It prioritizes projects promoting social inclusion via arts, such as creative workshops, participatory sessions, training, and equipment for underrepresented beneficiaries including children/young people, disabled individuals, and poverty-affected communities. Funding targets direct delivery of arts-based initiatives addressing exclusion, like music workshops for marginalized youth or inclusive theatre, rather than general operations.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities with incomes preferably £200,000–£1 million, robust safeguarding, and current regulatory compliance; grassroots or large organizations are deprioritized. Now invite-only post-July 2024 review, submit Expressions of Interest via website for potential full invitations—no emails, posts, or unsolicited apps. Typical grants: £7,000–£10,000 annually, often multi-year (up to three), with 3–4 awards yearly via ad hoc trustee meetings; no fixed deadlines.

Didymus excludes unrestricted/core costs, retrospective funding, statutory replacements, or misaligned projects. It stands out for its laser focus on arts-centric social inclusion for modestly sized, well-governed charities, strategic trustee-led grantmaking, and commitment to barrier-breaking creative enrichment in key UK hubs.