Today we're delighted to launch the fifth year of the Keep it Fringe fund, an initiative to support Fringe artists in the UK to realise their professional ambitions, originally launched in 2023 by our honorary President Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The Fringe has a vision to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat: an artist's background shouldn’t prevent them from being able to showcase their talent at the Fringe. Experimentation and audience development have been at the heart of the festival for decades; put simply, without artists there would be no Fringe.
Keep it Fringe 2027 will support artists by distributing bursaries of £2,500 to be spent however the artists feel will best support their work. Arts Council England has generously donated an initial £80,000 to support artists based in England who apply for Keep it Fringe funding. We will continue fundraising and is actively seeking partners to contribute additional funds to help artists based across the UK.
In 2026 more than 400 artists applied for 16 bursaries available through the Keep it Fringe fund. While the funding won’t make or break an artist's experience at the festival, it is intended to remove some of the financial pressures that can impact whether an artist takes part.
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: 'The Keep it Fringe fund is a vital means of support for artists coming to the festival, and we’re overjoyed that Arts Council England is supporting artists from England bringing work to Fringe 2027. For those outside England, rest assured, this is only the beginning – we fully intend to continue our fundraising and partnership efforts to ensure that many more artists from across the UK will be able to experience the benefit of the fund as well.to be part of it.'
Neil Darlison, Director of Theatre for Arts Council England, said: 'We are delighted to be able to mark the Fringe’s 80th year through Keep it Fringe, directly supporting artists and companies based in England taking their work to the 2027 festival. We wish Tony and the team every success in future fundraising to further support artists across the country.'
2027 will be the fifth year that the Keep it Fringe fund has run; our ambition is to provide direct financial support for Fringe artists every year. We'll make further announcements of funding for Keep it Fringe in due course, and applications for next year will open in January 2027.
