Applications are now being accepted for the Ant Clausen Fire it up Fund, a new award of £20,000 that aims to assist young individuals in entering the creative industries.
The Fund was revealed during the summer as a tribute to Ant Clausen, a photographer and filmmaker from Liverpool. Unfortunately, Ant passed away while on vacation in his home country of New Zealand last year.
The opportunity is called “The Fund” and it is available to individuals residing, working, or studying in the Liverpool City Region who are aged between 16 to 25. The aim of the fund is to aid those who are seeking assistance to initiate a career in the creative industries.
The Fund aims to assist young photographers and film makers in monetizing their passion, and its application process has been designed to be straightforward and efficient.
The Fund provides financial assistance along with a personalized 12-month plan to aid award winners in their progress. This plan may consist of mentoring, training, and access to various opportunities and events that may be difficult for beginners to obtain.
The Open Eye Gallery is the primary partner in the fund, and it is being officially supported by the ACC Liverpool Group and Bold Street Coffee.
Applications are open now until 26 March 2024, all details can be found on the website here.
Sarah Fisher, Director at Open Eye Gallery said:
“Everyone involved in setting up this Fund has been inspired by the way that Ant led his life and built his career. Our ambition is not to just provide financial support to people, but to create a relationship between our partners and the award winners that is fun, straightforward and full of energy.
I think that the chance to help young people get their foot into the creative industries should be because of their talent not because of who they know or where they studied is a very powerful thing and one that we are hugely proud to be partners in.”
Faye Dyer, CEO of ACC Liverpool said:
“As a business we had a long relationship with Ant and so many of the iconic photos of the last decade in Liverpool were shot by him.
We are very proud to be an official supporter of the ACFIUF and are excited to provide opportunities to those who are successful in winning the awards in furthering their careers in whatever way we can.”
Matt Farrell from GSG Hospitality who own Bold Street Coffee said:
“As soon as we heard about the fund we wanted to be involved. Ant was a crucial part of the creativity and culture of this city and the chance to help young aspiring photographers and film makers is something we wanted to be a part of.
When we have been talking to guests about the fund, the reaction has been incredible so I am really hopeful that a lot of people take the time to apply.”
READ MORE: FIRE IT UP FUND LAUNCHED IN MEMORY OF PHOTOGRAPHER ANT CLAUSEN
