freckle, freckle, what makes you special?

Does arts funding really go to minority groups more than “the general public”? Or are you just not used to seeing Black/Queer/Transgender/Disabled/Muslim etc etc (delete as appropriate) people in a visible position?

It’s the most common complaint we get on social media. 

“What makes you so special?”

“Why should you get money for things that exclude ‘normal’ kids?”

“I know loads of people who can’t afford drama classes so why should transgender kids get them for free?”

So let’s talk about it.

First of all, bestie, if you want funding then you could actually just apply for it. You could start an organisation working for and with children living below the poverty line in your area and offer incredible opportunities like we do buuuuuut you’re not going to, are you? It’s the same people who complain that there’s no straight pride parade, or ask when International Men’s Day is. There is nothing stopping you from creating your own opportunities and applying for funding. As my future husband (Patrick from Fall Out Boy) told us recently via the medium of a pin on his denim jacket: equality is not a pie. Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you.

Funding for one project does not mean less funding for you.

But here’s the thing - are marginalised groups really getting more money than your average joe? In short, no. In long? Nooooooooooo.

Let’s look at the facts:

The most recent data available to us tells us that in 2021/22 the overall success rate for all applicants applying for Arts Council funding was 30%. The success rate for LGBTQ+ specific applicants was 30%. The EXACT same.

In fact, without even doing a deep-dive into the data that’s publicly available from Arts Council, a quick glance shows us that there were more funded projects in the South East of England about the sea than there were projects specifically for marginalised groups of any identity. The SEA. 

So to answer your question, what makes us so special?

We act on our ideas.

Stay tuned to see if I can shoe horn a Fall Out Boy lyric into every single blog title.