Statement re: Arts Council NPO Investment 2023-2026
Create Gloucestershire statement regrading the Arts Council NPO Investment 2023-2026
A significant strand of funding for the arts and cultural sector is the Arts Council England’s Investment Programme 2023 – 2026. Decisions about the latest round of this funding were announced on the 4th November.
CG’s take away from the new national and local funding picture is that there are many brilliant arts and cultural organisations who secured funding and just as many that didn’t. There was simply not enough funding available to meet the incredible aspirations and potential of arts and cultural organisations in England.
So as well as celebrating the successful organisations in Gloucestershire, CG will continue to invest in innovation to grow and diversify the overall investment pot for arts and culture so that even more communities and individuals can tap into their creativity.
This is particularly important right now, when there are so many challenges being faced linked to the cost of living crisis, climate change and physical and mental health issues. We know the vital role arts and culture can play in this context, summed up so well by Indigo Redfern from GL11 Community Hub.
“While our community centre provides food, debt advice, support to sort housing and basic needs, there is something else we have seen that creativity brings that is invaluable because it gives hope and purpose to people- it looks forward”
Gloucestershire secured 6.6% of the total investment in the South West, a figure comparable to Somerset and Cornwall. Bristol, Devon and Dorset took the lions share of investment at just over 70%.
Zooming into Gloucestershire the amount allocated per annum for 2023-2026 is £1,972,314. This represents an increase to the county of £997,064 per annum, compared with 2022.
Gloucester has seen a very significant increase in investment as a one of ACE’s priority places with 3 organisations getting this award for the first time. Look out for the word *New in the list below:.
Create Gloucestershire
Gloucester Culture Trust - *New
Gloucester Guildhall - *New
CG will work actively to address some of the significant gaps in this current investment round. There is no NPO funding for organisations based in Cotswold and Tewkesbury Districts and several extraordinary creative organisations weren’t funded but so deserved to be:
New Brewery Arts in Cirencester, who constantly innovate to connect people with the joy and fulfilment of making craft.
The Music Works in Gloucester who are unstoppable in their mission to transform young people’s lives through music, solely focused on supporting those in challenging circumstances and under-represented in the sector.
Roses Theatre which is the hub of creativity for Tewkesbury offering accessible theatre, film, creative sessions, singing for wellbeing and much more.
In terms of CG, we secured funding from a distinct and much smaller strand of Arts Council England investment specifically designed for infrastructure organisations – known as Investment Principles Support Organisations (IPSO) - rather than delivery organisations – known as National Portfolio Organisations (NPO).
As one of only two IPSOs in the South West region and 40 across the UK, we look forward to working with the NPO portfolio to embed diversity, ambition and quality, environmental responsibility and inclusivity and relevance (ACE’s four investment principles) across the arts and cultural sector in Gloucestershire.
If you want to delve deeper, ACE has a public statement here:
https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/bringing-creativity-and-culture-your-doorstep
And a dashboard will all the successful applicants here. https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/investment23.
#ACESupported #npo #LetsCreate #CreateLocal #CreateTalent #funding