The Jewellery Quarter Common Room is pleased to announce the first six successful recipients of its new Microgrant Programme, designed to support creative innovation and community engagement across the Jewellery Quarter.
Funded by a £22,500 grant from Birmingham City Council through Enterprise Zones, the programme offers targeted capital and revenue grants to help reduce the financial risk of trying new ideas. It supports artists, craftspeople, and independent businesses to develop projects that help their work thrive and contribute to the wider community.
Following an open call earlier this spring, grants have now been awarded to six projects that reflect the diversity, creativity, and ambition of the Jewellery Quarter.
The successful Round One applicants are:
- Blue Orange Arts – Medium Grant
Awarded funding to promote Everyone In, a powerful short film made in collaboration with Blue Orange Arts. Shot at locations across the Jewellery Quarter, the film explores the ‘Everyone In’ initiative during the Covid-19 lockdown, which offered emergency housing to people experiencing homelessness. The grant will help produce display materials to support local screenings and festival submissions, raising awareness of homelessness and showcasing the Quarter as a backdrop for impactful storytelling.
- Quartermasters – Medium Grant
Quartermasters will launch their playful Moving Mini Maker Museum, a pop-up creative display space powered by a specially adapted trike named Haddle. Appearing during JQ Lates in May and June, the trike will host hands-on craft workshops and evolving displays of miniature collections inspired by the trades and stories of the Quarter.
- JQ Collage Club Social – Large Grant
This new community-led initiative brings people together through collage, photo montage, and conversation. Led by a local artist, the project explores personal identity, memory, and sustainability, with four pilot sessions planned and an archive or exhibition of participants’ work. Building on previous creative work in the area, this new social space aims to become a regular fixture in the Quarter.
- The Meander Project – Large Grant
Created by a local artist and supported by Stryx, this project focuses on slow-making and storytelling through craft. Six workshops for m/others and caregivers will explore techniques such as sewing, poetry, and mixed media, culminating in a final exhibition at Stryx and future displays across the Quarter. The project promotes sustainable creativity and community connection.
- Rock & Roll Brewhouse – Large Grant
This female-led vegan brewery and cultural venue will use its grant to enhance live events through the purchase of a projector and screen. These new tools will support film nights, spoken word, music and interview events – expanding creative possibilities and laying the groundwork for a future sound and visual mini-festival. Signage will also be improved to help attract new audiences.
- The Hive – Large Grant
The Hive will use its grant to deliver a new series of Creative HABITS workshops led by guest artists. Open to adults of all abilities, these sessions prioritise wellbeing, creative experimentation, and peer learning. Work created will be shared via The Hive’s community gallery, and the programme will deepen connections between local creatives and the wider community.
Sian Hindle, Chair of the Jewellery Quarter Common Room, said:
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the quality and imagination of applications received. These six projects really capture what the microgrant scheme is all about – supporting local talent to experiment, collaborate and contribute to the cultural life of the Jewellery Quarter.”
Applications for Round 2 of the Jewellery Quarter Common Room Microgrant Programme will open on 23 May 2025. The window for round 2 has been extended by a week and will close on 20 June 2025.
The programme is divided into two categories: Capital Grants (focused on acquiring or improving physical assets) and Revenue Grants (supporting community-engaging projects). Grants range from £100 to £1,000, offering funding to a wide variety of projects.
The Jewellery Quarter Common Room encourages local businesses, artists, and creatives to apply, especially those with ideas that can contribute positively to the local community.
About Jewellery Quarter Common Room
The Jewellery Quarter Common Room is a consortium of local businesses and organisations, led by the Jewellery Quarter Development Trust, dedicated to enhancing the area’s cultural and economic vitality through a range of initiatives and partnerships. Supported by Birmingham City Council, it serves as a hub for creative and entrepreneurial energy in the Quarter.
For full details and eligibility criteria, or to apply, visit: https://www.jqcommonroom.co.uk/jq-microgrants
