Posted by: citizensofculture

Arts Council England (ACE) have published ‘Achieving Art for Everyone’ a ten-year strategy that has been formulated following a consultation process that began in 2009. Over 2,500 people took part in the consultation, with many demanding a more flexible funding system.

Alongside this, ACE has launched its new portfolio funding programme for arts organisations in England which, for the first time, will invite all organisations who wish to be funded to apply. According to ACE, the ten-year strategy, along with the consultation that shaped it, has been central to developing the new funding system. Both have been published in light of an almost 30 per cent cut in ACE’s funding from government.

Once applications have been considered, ACE will appropriate the successful organisations into one of two different types of relationship. The first, “strategic funding”, will apply to organisations that ACE regards as being strategically significant to the wider sector. It is assumed that this will include major institutions such as the National Theatre, although ACE has said it will be possible for smaller companies to gain “strategic” status. Companies such as these will be expected to take on greater responsibility for the sector at large, and to adopt initiatives such as the National Theatre’s offer to share its back room facilities with other theatres in London.

The second category, to which most organisations will belong, will be known as “programme funding”, which will centre on an organisation’s artistic output.

In both cases, organisations can apply for funding periods that could last as long as six years, or as short as two, although most organisations will still receive three-year settlements.

Applications opened on Thursday, 4th November, and will close on 24th January, 2011. Funding decisions for 2012/13 and 2014/5 will be made by March 2011. During this time, ACE’s overall funding pot will be reduced by 14.9% in real terms. It is expected that the decisions made in March will see one hundred fewer organisations receiving funding by 2015.

To read ACE’s ‘Achieving Great Art for Everyone’ please visit http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/about-us/a-strategic-framework-for-the-arts/. To apply online for ACE funding by 24th January 2011 please visit https://forms.artscouncil.org.uk/officeforms/arts_projects.ofml.


Source: http://visitingarts.newsweaver.co.uk

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