Arts Council England yesterday published the criteria it uses to make decisions about which organisations to fund regularly.
The criteria will provide greater clarity and transparency about how the Arts Council makes funding decisions.
The Arts Council currently provides around £350 million each year to regularly funded organisations (RFOs) and The criteria for Arts Council England regular funding explains the framework the Arts Council uses to assess whether an organisation should receive regular funding.
The document describes two sets of criteria:
· the first set looks at the organisation itself, to ensure that it is a good, well-managed organisation
· the second set ensures that the organisation fits into the overall arts infrastructure that the Arts Council is seeking to support
Some of the qualities that need to be demonstrated by RFOs include excellent and innovative programmes of work, high quality public engagement and effective governance and management. Taken together, regularly funded organisations also need to represent a diverse range of artforms across the country and help the Arts Council achieve its mission of great art for everyone.
Paul Blaker, Director of Programmes, Arts Council England said:
”Publishing these criteria forms part of our commitment to becoming more open and transparent about our decision making processes. The criteria are not used as a formula for counting up ‘scores’. They provide a framework against which the Arts Council can make informed judgements.”
The document also makes clear the requirements and responsibilities an organisation must be willing and able to meet in order to become an RFO.
The criteria for Arts Council England regular funding can be viewed here.
Notes to Editors:
1. Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives.
As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.
Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.
Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.