British Arts Council

 British Arts Council      'Achieving Great Art for Everyone' 

The British arts council is a government funded body which help promote the arts in all shapes and forms. The arts council is also funded by the national lottery. Funding is evenly distributed, supporting a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries- from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. It is also distributed across many regional offices. Recently there was a scheme launched called National Portfolio Organisation (NPO).  In April of 2013, there were cuts to the art council, making some companies, organisations and associations had to be cut, so there would be no more funding for them, or their business. So now I will go on to the topic of ‘Fundraising’. There are different streams of fundraising, and when you haven’t got guaranteed funding coming in, you need to do anything and everything to keep the arts going. There are three different, main, types of fundraising:

·        Individual

Individual funding is funding from certain people, for example, the Jack Petchy awards, different trusts etc.

•          Co-operate

Co-operate funding is funding from companies and businesses. They would target CSR (co-operate social responsibility) departments, who would fund because, not only is the money tax deductable but also it gives them good PR (Public Relations) and advertising for their company. Finally:

•           Public

Public funding is funding such as ‘Bridge Organisations’ , which are art related companies, that have most probably had funding before are invested in to show to the youth of today the richness of theatre and the arts. There are many Bridge Organisations across England, but one of them is the Lyric Hammersmith. They were selected because they mainly had a picture of the current cultural education offer, including the context demand for relevant arts and cultural opportunities for children and young people.

There are also many other up and coming companies that are being noticed for their unique ideas and shows. One is called ‘Punch-drunk’ which is a physical theatre company, who started going on tour, and getting noticed. They became pioneering and got noticed by the Arts council, making the company, yet another NPO.

There are many different things that a good project has to have in order to be funded:

•              A proven track record of good work (similar good outcomes)
•              Clear and strategic ideas
•          Know about funding and finance
•         Be specific about regions and target audiences
•        Have a fresh and original idea

Theatre companies, after applying for a grant or funding, are allowed to keep any profits of ticket sales. And companies can also re-apply whenever they need too. Discussion did turn to free shows, and both the negative and positive effects of them:

·         Adding value to the show, more people might come and see because there is no price.

·         It might put people off the show, because it’s free, and not as good for value as something you would have to pay for.

·         It may also lower the value of other shows, and people may feel they don’t need to pay for shows, if some are free.

After funding and shows or events, people need to not only think about the main aims in the arts, but also re generation in theatre and how it can develop after.

•          Quality of activity
•          Public engagement (Long term and immediate)
•           Quality of effect of activity
•          How activity will be managed (Ongoing effect)
•            How realistic activity is financially
•          Involving youth

Grants can be between £1,000 to £30,000 for individuals and up to £100,000 for organisations.  The British Arts Council is not only an amazing organisation but also champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives.