Arts and Cultural organisations can now apply for regular support to engage communities in the arts.

The 2023-26 Investment Programme consists of two separate funding programmes, both intended to support different aspects of Arts Council England's ten-year strategy (2020-2030), Let’s Create:

• National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) 2023-26 Programme.
• Investment Principles Support Organisations (IPSO) 2023-26 Programme.

NPO Activities must align with at least one of the outcomes associated with Let’s Create:

• Creative People – encouraging widespread participation in creative activities.
• Cultural Communities – promoting social cohesion and improved physical and mental wellbeing across local communities.
• A Creative and Cultural Country – embracing innovation, collaboration and diversity to build a robust and resilient cultural sector.

IPSO Activities must embed at least one of the four Investment Principles and support other organisations to do the same:

• Ambition and quality – linking creative work to wider aims and ambitions and working with creative partners to refine output.
• Dynamism – developing a business model that is flexible and able to adapt to changing environments.
• Environmental Responsibility – embedding environmental thinking into every aspect of work, from operations to creation and programming.
• Inclusivity and Relevance – identifying who is under-represented and which communities are under-served and taking action to address this.

Each programme will open to arts organisations, museums, local authorities and libraries, with successful applicants receiving a minimum of £50,000 a year for three years.

Applications are welcome from partnerships and consortiums.

The programme of work supported by the investment must primarily benefit artists, creative practitioners, participants or audiences across England.

Funded activities should run from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2026.

The deadline to apply for either programme is 26 April 2022 (12pm).

 

How To Apply

This fund is expected to open in the week commencing 28 February 2022 and will close 18 May 2022.

Groups must submit their application through Grantium, the Arts Council's online application portal. This requires an applicant profile. Applicants who do not already have an applicant profile must create one, bearing in mind that this can take up to five working days. The deadline for submission of an applicant profile is 4pm on 8 April 2022.

Full guidance notes and an online application form can be found on the Arts Council England website.