Creative Dundee

Amps Community Ideas Fund

When becoming an Amp, 50% of your support goes toward an innovative Community Ideas Fund which is awarded each year to enable a new, experimental collaboration between Amps to benefit Dundee.

How does it work?

The Community Ideas Fund exists to spark and resource new collaborations that have creativity and experimentation at the heart of them and that will have a positive impact in the city. Whatever form the collaborations take – from arts of all kinds, storytelling, video games, design, to celebrating, playing, bringing people together and much more – this is your chance to try out your ideas.

Any two or more Amps can pitch an idea each year at the Amps Forum. It’s then over to the Amps community who will decide on the night which idea to award the funding to. Funding and voting are open to all Amps wherever you are.

Help us grow the Fund and make it more accessible by paying forward! Your contribution will be used to support those who are not able to afford their subscriptions and give them access to the Fund. 50% of all subscriptions goes towards the Fund, so the more Amps there are, the bigger the Fund is!

Community Ideas Fund Collaborations

2022: The Dundee Guerrilla Film Festival

Twelve monthly ‘happenings’ designed to support artists, bringing people together to question artistic ownership, exchange work, and amplify urgent narratives. A project by artist and director Rhiannon Mudaliar and local historian, storyteller and library worker Erin Farley.

2021: City Soundscapes

A Dundee-wide sound trail and series of workshops that will open doors to new ways of listening to and engaging with the city’s vibrant sonic environment. A collaboration by artist, maker and musician, Rebecca Jones, and community musician and composer, Claire Gorman.

2020: Hilltown Community Plaza

A co-design process empowering people to prototype change in their communities, inviting people in the Hilltown area to reimagine and lead change in their neighbourhood. Developed by designer, Eilish Victoria, garden mentor, Manuela De Los Rios, and activist, Russell Pepper.

2019: Put Your Stamp on Dundee

A participatory project to capture what people love about the city through drawing and photography. A collaboration between illustrators Pamela Scott, Louise Kirby, Suzanne Scott and Laura Darling-Brackenridge.

2018: The Typography Treasure Hunt

A playful and informative event to encourage people to look at and explore their city in a whole new way. A collaboration between designers Ryan McLeod and Connor Finlayson.

2017: Paper Prototyping

An inclusive and playful experience for young people recovering from domestic abuse, creating a game using paper prototyping, word games and movement. Developed by dancer and choreographer, Gemma Connell, and video games producer, Malath Abbas.

How to submit your idea, step-by-step:

  • To be eligible, your idea needs to be a collaborative project between two or more collaborators in the Amps community – find out about some supporters via Amps profiles!
  • You can share, discuss and develop ideas with other Amps, and find new collaborators at our Amps regular events and through the Amps Network Slack. Come along to one of our weekly Breakfasts to meet people, use Ampersand+ to connect, or get in touch with us and we’ll help you get started.
  • The application process starts each autumn at an Amps Meet-Up, a social evening where you get to meet other Amps, hear their ideas and make new connections.
  • You will be able to submit your idea in a short online application form – telling us briefly about your team, your project and how it will benefit the city.
  • This year’s fund is £2,500!
  • Your team will then pitch their ideas at our annual Amps Forum. Amps get to vote and decide which project to award the funding to!

Join the Amps Network

Individual/Student

If you’re a freelancer, sole trader or student

£40/£20 per year or
£4/£2 per month

Organisation

Business or organisation

£100 per year or
£10 per month

Pay It Forward

Pay what you like to
support Amps and the
creative community
in Dundee.

When you join, your subscription is set to renew automatically each year but may be cancelled within PayPal at any point, or you can contact us to adjust it for you. If you would prefer to be invoiced or would like to discuss a different form of support, just let us know!

We acknowledge that the cost could be a barrier to joining the Amps network, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us as we might be able to support your subscription, thanks to people choosing to pay it forward.

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