Main Award

Main Award

Main Award

LUTSF supports individuals working in all areas of movement and dance who wish to travel in order to enrich their professional practice. Applications are welcomed from choreographers, performers, lecturers, teachers, writers, therapists, administrators, producers and related professionals. The average scholarship (Main Award) in the last few years has been around £600.

Applications for 25/26 will be for eligible projects taking place between April 2025 to April 2026.
Applications open on Friday 29 November 2024. The deadline to apply is Friday 31 January 2025.

Please read these pages for details of what you need to prepare for your application and join our mailing list for updates.

Photo credits: top, Avatâra Ayuso; left Rachel Birch Lawson by Stephen Wright; right Magpie Dance

Please read the information below and the FAQs carefully before applying and before contacting LUTSF.
We have limited capacity to respond to enquiries.

Are you eligible to apply?

  • Support is for travel only – in the UK or overseas. LUTSF does not pay fees for courses or conferences. It does not pay for subsistence, visas, insurance, innoculations, accommodation.
  • Applications must be from individuals, not institutions, groups or companies. However, to reflect the changing environment, applications will now be accepted from individuals who are leaders of their own small companies and who wish to travel to enhance their knowledge, skills and experience in their role as company leads (smaller companies are defined as those with a turnover less than £50k pa)
  • Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of their application
  • Applicants must have been resident in the UK for a minimum of five (5) years at the time of their application
  • Travel must originate in and return to the United Kingdom
  • Projects must take place between April of the year of application and the end of April of the following year
  • LUTSF does not support applications relating to undergraduate courses. Applications relating to masters degree studies may be considered but only when the applicant can evidence a professional track record of a minimum of 2 years prior to their studies (we also run a specific Dancer in Training Award which may be more suitable for such applicants). Applications from those registered for doctoral studies will be considered
  • Support is not given for travel to and from institutions for full-time or ‘long courses’, that is courses extending over one, two or three years; these include most diploma, certificate, degree and post graduate courses
  • Previous recipients of a LUTSF scholarship may be considered for a second award after at least five (5) years have passed and/or in exceptional circumstances.

What kinds of project will NOT be considered?

  • Applications for ‘gap’ year travel, travel associated with diploma and undergraduate courses or masters degree courses where there is no evidence of a minimum 2 year professional track record. Degree ‘placements’ and fieldwork are excluded.
  • Joint or group projects, although applications from individuals who are part of a larger project team may be considered.
  • Projects where a proportion of the time away is used for leisure or paid work activities. Given the financial challenges facing those working in the arts, we have relaxed our previous restriction on undertaking paid work during LUTSF funded travel. Some paid work may now be undertaken and included as match funding to meet the non-travel based costs of the trip. However, the primary purpose of the trip and majority of the time (at least 75%), must still be for the purposes of professional development as opposed to professional work. Where applicants are entitled to claim all or part of their travel costs from the organisation engaging them professionally, they will not be eligible to apply. The Committee will use its discretion when evaluating the significance of paid work activities and may make part awards for travel.

How does the Selection Process operate?

All members of the LUTSF Management Committee are involved in the Selection process. All applicants are informed of the outcome of their application in writing by 31st March. Each application is considered on its merits and the decision of the Management Committee is final.

What Selection Criteria are used? What are we looking for in projects?

Please see FAQs for further information.

  • Innovative programmes of professional development which clearly relate to your professional work and interests will have a greater chance of success. We prefer to fund plans which are more individually tailored; build on the applicant’s previous experience; develop or enhance collaborations and which demonstrate significant benefits in terms of the applicant’s artistic and/or career development
  • Your application will need to show enthusiasm, passion and commitment
  • Your project should be well thought through, be well structured and have clear aims and there should be evidence of some preliminary research where appropriate
  • Your application will need to show how the experience of travelling to undertake your project will aid your, professional and / or artistic development
  • Your application should explain how the resulting skills and knowledge will inform your future practice.
  •  All applications must demonstrate clear public benefit through undertaking your project.

If you are successful, what happens next?

  • You will be informed of the success of your application
  • You will be given details of how to obtain your ticket(s) and put in touch with the travel agent who makes travel arrangements for LUTSF scholarship winners
  • You will sign a contract in which you agree to carry out your project as described and to seek approval from LUTSF in writing (email) for any necessary changes
  • You will agree to submit a report within one month of your return from your study trip. Report Writing Guidelines

Terms and conditions

Please note LUTSF is unable to fund:
Travel insurance, visas, additional baggage costs
Travel between your home and the airport/rail station/main departure point is not included
Where required, internal travel in your destination country may be included in your award e.g. Internal flights, long distance rail connections, but local train, bus and taxi fares are not included.

Changes in Projects: Before you apply, please ensure that you are ready to apply for this project and provide as much confirmed information as possible. If you are awarded a scholarship and your project then deviates significantly from what is in this application, your scholarship may be withdrawn.

Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults: If you are awarded a scholarship and are working with children or vulnerable adults in your role, it is a condition of the award that you comply with any police / background checks required by your host organisation and / or which are required by law. You are also expected to comply with any child / vulnerable adult policies which are in place at your host organisation. Please make sure to check with your host organisation or other relevant authorities what checks are required and policies and procedures around working with children / vulnerable adults before you apply.

Application form questions

We accept completed application forms only between mid November to mid January using the online form. Here are the questions required to complete the application form in the meantime.

  • Personal details
  • Summary of project (50 words)
  • Project dates and destination
  • Cost of travel
  • Training/employment
  • Name and contact details of two referees
  • Project description (500 words / 22350 characters max)
  • Reasons for undertaking the project (500 words / 22350 characters max)
  • Are you seeking funding from another source? If so where?
  • How did you hear about LUTSF?

YOUR APPLICATION MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING ATTACHMENTS (.doc, .docx or .pdf max 1mb)

  • Evidence of planning including dates and travel details
  • Any letters of support, invitation and/or confirmation from your destination host
  • Letter of support for this project from one of your two referees. Your referee should be someone who knows you in a professional capacity and who is not applying for a LUTSF scholarship this year.
  • Completed budget document

Please read this information and the FAQs carefully before applying and before contacting LUTSF with an enquiry. LUTSF has no paid staff and we have limited capacity to respond to enquiries.