Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants Date (day/month/year) Presenter’s name and details Note to presenters: This presentation is designed to take about half an hour. If you are unable to answer a question, refer potential applicants to Customer Services. This presentation is about Arts Council England’s open access funding scheme, Project Grants – how it fits into our wider funding portfolio and strategy, as well as what it funds, how you apply and what happens to your application. Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants (or Project Grants, for short) is a new funding programme, it replaced the highly successful Grants for the arts, providing many of the same functions as well as some new ones. Breathing new life into an old programme! (see picture) This is part of our new funding picture as we move from our 15-18 funding period to the 18-22 funding period. The name: Adding ‘National Lottery’ is part of a wider conversation than ACE, all Lottery funders will be including National Lottery in the title of their lottery funded programs, to ensure that people know where the funding is coming from, we will also be using our Lottery funding logo on more of material in more places. Projects describe the type of grants we award and Arts Council helps to define the fund as having a specific focus (as national Lottery project Grants could be for anything) Key message: This is essentially Grants for the Arts with some new extra bits, the name might have changed, but for artists and arts organisations, it should be business as usual. The changes mostly surround the addition of museums-practice activity and expanded guidance on creative media. As an organisation, we have listened to the sector in developing these changes. We’ve been out speaking to the sector and ran surveys on our website, but we also recently had the ComRes report (2016) which was an external-led sector consultation on behalf of ACE. This report championed the integration of Museums and Libraries across our funding programs (wherever possible) and requested further guidance on Creative Media. It also highlighted our use of ‘Scientific language’ and highlighted a need for clearer and shorter guidance. (again, wherever possible). The DCMS Tailored Review praised our With the New Portfolio we have demonstrated an openness to Creative Media as well as integration of Major Partner Museums and now 7 Library Services (that deliver arts activity). Project Grants will bring our open funding programme into the present day and give a more consistent feel across our total investment approach). Note for presenter: Why are we making changes? – Learning this timeline will help you to understand the long journey we’ve been on to get to this point. Project Grants Launched in 2003 (15 years ago!). 2010 – We moved to an online application process and assessment became centralised 2011 – We took on some of the responsibilities of the MLA (Museums Libraries and Archives Council) 2013 – We changed the threshold from £10k to £15k, and decentralised some of the process 2016 – ComRes Report highlighted a need for ACE to embrace Creative media and digital platforms and new forms of technology. The report also highlighted our use of what applicants described as ‘scientific language’, and a need to make sure that we are reaching beyond the usual arts grants recipients when giving advice. Feedback around Museums and Libraries integration was very positive. 2016 – The Theatre Analysis highlighted a need to be more agile in the support we give around extending or remounting tours, among other recommendations 2017 – DMCS Tailored Review – was very positive about our funding programmes and the way we run them, but also outlined improvements we could make to our programmes and processes, particularly about being more transparent and being open to different applicants outside the regular Project Grants users we support 2017 – Museums Review – The findings of which are helping to support the ongoing development of our areas of eligibility and remit as they relate to HLF’s areas of focus and expertise. Finally, in that time, the sector has changed a lot, as has the way we create, view, and interact with, the arts, museums and libraries. We have moved to a more digitally focused culture. Project Grants reflects not only the feedback we’ve had from the sector, but contemporary England and the changes will being this programme up to speed and ensure that it remains relevant, innovative, exciting, open and fair. Wifi available #culturematters Daughters of the curry Revolution by Afreena Islam, SICK! Festival Photo © Tamsin Drury

Who we are Arts Council England is the Arts and Cultural Development Agency in England Staff across the country in five areas North, Midlands, London, South West, South East With specialist skills Dance Libraries Literature Music Museums Theatre Visual Arts Combined Arts Audiences and Engagement Children and Young People Creative Media and Digital Touring Diversity Arts Council England is the Arts and Cultural Development Agency in England We champion, develop and invest in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people's lives We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries

“Great art and culture for everyone” Our Mission & Goals “Great art and culture for everyone” Goal 1: Excellence Goal 2: For Everyone Goal 3: Resilience and sustainability Goal 4: Diversity and Skills Goal 5: Children and young people Funded Organisations (NPOs, MEHs) Development funds (DYCP, CPP) Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants Our mission Statement is; Great art and culture for everyone – that is what we are trying to achieve and to continue achieving. Goal 1: Excellence is thriving and celebrated in the arts, museums and libraries This is the ‘Great’ part of this statement, ensures that we not only deliver high quality art, but keep skills and talent within the sector. Does not mean that everything we fund must be of the absolute highest quality. Goal 2: Everyone has the opportunity to experience and to be inspired by the arts, museums and libraries This is the ‘Everyone’ part of this statement. We can, and should, all benefit. Public funding, equality of opportunity, importance of the arts, benefits of the arts etc. Goal 3: The arts, museums and libraries are resilient and environmentally sustainable This is about making sure that arts & cultural organisations as well as the arts industry are able to sustain themselves and practitioners, if we lose the financial ability to survive, then we lose the associated art. We are also committed to sustainability, it is not only a government directive but something most people within the arts workforce believes is important Goal 4: The leadership and workforce in the arts, museums and libraries are diverse and appropriately skilled Reflecting the diversity of contemporary England and making sure that leadership has the right skills to lead the sector forward, confidently and competently. Goal 5: Every child and young person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts, museums and libraries Ensures that access to the arts is fair across all classes, communities, schools etc. as today’s children will become tomorrow’s artists, we will have a much better arts ecology and arts landscape if every child is given equal opportunity to participate. These are our goals but they’re also good principles to use when putting together a project. How do we deliver against these goals? As the arts development agency for England we do this through sector support in terms of advice giving and standards setting, but we also partially do this through funding. We support the arts ecology in England using 3 main pillars of funding: NPO: We provide regular funding for organisations through our National Portfolio Organisations, Major Partner Museums, Bridge Organisations and Music Education Hubs. Directly funding ‘NPOs’ ranging from large building based companies such as London’s Royal Opera House to small organisations like the November Club, a site-specific performing arts company based in Northumberland who work with local communities. The funding for NPO is Grant-in Aid, which comes from central government and is awarded to organisations on a 4-year basis (was 3 year moving to 4 for 2018-22) £1bn for 18-22. Our portfolio of Funded organisations contributes to all 5 of our goals Development funds (Previously Strategic funds): Fill any gaps in the sector that aren’t filled by Funded Organisations. It is geared towards addressing certain priorities against one or more of our goals eg: Developing your Creative Practice focuses on supporting individuals at a key point in their creative career Creative People and Places focuses on areas of low engagement with the arts or areas where there is little arts provision Project Grants (Previously Grants For The Arts - GFTA): This is where we throw it out to the sector and ask for their good ideas, which is what makes t such an exciting programme. Project Grants is funded by the National Lottery. All Project Grants projects deliver against Goals 1 & 2, some contribute to more than this. Project Grants is our highest volume programme receiving over 10,000 applications per year!   Project Grants is what is known as an Open fund as it has quite an open range of scope, no rounds or deadlines, never ends and very rarely closes for applications. Also – Anyone can apply. You don’t have to be an artist to apply.

What makes up Project Grants? Museum focused practice Accredited Museums National Activities £97.3m per year Over 10,000 applications Arts activity Previously GFTA Creative Media Focused criteria and guidance Project Grants Public Engagement Project Grants is made up of all the elements of Grants for the arts, plus some new ones: Arts activity – as previously supported through GFTA – no changes here Theatre Dance Visual Arts Literature Music Combined Arts - not just combinations, also describes festival, carnival arts, circus, game based art, and a whole host of other types of art that sometimes don’t neatly fit into one of the others but straddle a number of types of creative activity Public Engagement – as part of our agreement with the National Lottery, as well as achieving our own aims and goals, every project we fund through project Grants must reach or benefit people in England, either in the short term or the long term. We call this public engagement. Museum focused practice – Accredited Museums ONLY are eligible to apply for activities relating to their collections or other core objectives. THIS IS NEW TO PROJECT GRANTS Exhibitions and related costs (display cases etc) Learning, workshops and outreach activities Engaging audiences with collections, either physically or digitally Conservation of existing collections (with related public engagement outcomes) NOT ACQUISITION OR CAPITAL – Purchase of items for collections, or building based capital work for Museums is covered by the HLF (Heritage Lottery Fund) All museums are also eligible for Arts-related activity. Creative Media (Guidance and remit clarified for Project Grants) - What do we mean by Creative Media? - we use the term to refer to artistic and cultural works and content that:   are created for digital platforms; and/or are distributed digitally to engage the public We will continue to be able to accept applications that help applicants to explore creative media and digital opportunities practice across the artforms and disciplines that we support. National Activities – OVER £15k applicaitons that tour to two or more Arts Council Areas (over 25% happening outside home area) or are Nationally significant NPOs can apply for over £100k national activities only vian an Expression of Interest [EOI] process The total budget for Project Grants £97.3m per year and funding comes from The National Lottery Good Causes – this is a 33% increase on the £75m per year the fund had in the previous funding period (2015-18). We split this across the Areas as well as against National Activities projects. We always receive more good applications than we can fund

What is Project Grants? Project Grants distributes awards of between £1000 and usually £100,000 from the National Lottery to: individuals organisations people who use the arts in their work For time limited arts-related activities that: benefit people in England help artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries in England carry out their work Project Grants is our open access fund that exists to be reactive to new ideas, new talent and new approaches in the arts. Going back to our goals every Project Grants project MUST contribute to Goals 1 and 2 Individuals – We are on the few arts funders that will support individuals, certainly for these amounts and we are very proud of that. Without this funding programme – many artists would not be able to afford to continue their practice, and conversations and skills would be lost. Organisations – arts organisations, collaborating groups, theatres, museums, libraries, arts centres etc. People who use the arts in their work – You don’t need to be an artist to apply. Anyone can apply (except NPOs) Time limited - up to 3 years in length; projects this long are the exception, and awarding grants of this length is very rare. Just like applications around £100,000. Activities MUST benefit people in England, either in the short term or the long term. Shoreline, Simon Birch Dance, SALT 2016 photography by Steve Tanner

What kind of activity can we fund? productions / exhibitions / participatory projects / events / festivals / carnivals / workshops / digital projects / artistic research and development / commissions / participation / asset purchase / building renovation / making work / touring / residencies / professional development / international partnerships / organisation and business development / audience development / museum-focused practice I’m not going to read all of these out, but the main ones are; Events, such as performances, exhibitions & festivals Participatory projects (such as workshops) Creation of new work Productions and Research & Development Definitions: Participatory projects (such as workshops) - working with a group of targeted participants (might be a niche group). Process is as important if not more so than the product or performance. Artistic research & development- Time to research and develop an idea, may not necessarily lead to a tangible outcome Professional development- Mentorship, residencies, conferences, courses Organisational development- Consultancy, Board development – in these instances the artistic benefit may not be evidently clear but a case will be made for the long term impact on their artistic practice or organisational resilience. Wifi available #culturematters The Borrowers at New Vic Theatre Photo © Andrew Billington / New Vic Theatre

What can’t we fund? Ineligible applications activities that do not align to one of our supported artforms or disciplines activities that provide no potential benefit to the public general running costs and overheads statutory, further or higher education costs that take place before we are able to make a decision second-hand equipment (exceptions apply) touring projects more than 15% outside England (exceptions apply) international activities where there is no benefit to people in England activities that aim to make a profit or are based around fundraising (ie for charities) Underdeveloped Activities that do not align to one of our supported artforms or disciplines – classic example is film as an artform, as opposed to film as a medium for delivering artistic work (BFI distribute lottery funds to cover film), fashion, architecture, or photography that focuses on fashion/journalism/marketing as opposed to photography as a visual artist’s medium. No public benefit – we can fund R&D projects but you must be able to evidence long term benefit Costs that take place before we are able to make a decision - There is no retrospective funding under Lottery rules – Activities (including buying goods or services) that have started, been bought, ordered or contracted before we make a decision about your application. This is because we cannot fund activity retrospectively. For example, Joe Bloggs is applying for a theatre production. He gives his project start date as the day after the 6 week turnaround period. From the Activity plan we can see that day one of the project is the first day of the performance. There are costs in the expenditure for marketing, set build, and rehearsals. All of these things *must* have happened before day 1 of the performance, which is before we can make our decision. These costs are therefore retrospective. Bear this in mind with the 6 and 12 week turnaround times. Underdeveloped – We use this reason more than any other. This describes applications that do not include enough information for us to be able to make a decision. The best way to ensure your applcaition is not underdeveloped is to READ THE GUIDANCE and answer the prompts there. They are the same prompts we use to make our decisions so we are being transparent and trying to help applicants. Theatre Alibi - Mucky Pup Photo © Steve Tanner

Advice and Guidance Project Grants pages of our website “Is my project Ready?” Quiz How to apply guidance – Essential reading Information sheets Customer Services - 0845 300 6200 discuss eligibility basic advice help with Grantium Relationship Managers Project Grants surgeries/events Additional developmental support for priority applicants only Before you apply: Check the project you want to apply for is eligible for Project Grants Are you ready to apply? Is the timing right, is your activity well planned, do you have finance and partners in place? Take the quiz to find out! (7 really short yes or no questions that will help you find the right information) Reading the How to apply guidance (available to download on our website) is a really good place to start, even if you’re still in the early stages of putting a project together. It goes through the process in detail, and gives you a good sense of the type of information and level of detail we need to see in applications. Website The Project Grants pages on our website should be the first point of advice for most applicants All applicants must read the step by step guidance on How to Apply. This document explains the aims of the programme, what kind of activity we can support through Project Grants, as well as guidance on how to complete your application form and submit an application. Our information sheets provide further help with planning your project and more advice on certain types of activity Customer Services Our Customer services team, are the first point of contact for Project Grants advice. Can advise you on the eligibility of your activity, discuss any parts of the application that applicants are unsure of, and help them to use the online application form. We will sometimes need to pass your query onto a Relationship Manager based in one of our Area Offices. We might speak to a Relationship Manager and get back to you with further information, or we may organise for you to speak with them directly. Relationship Managers (for Priority applicants) With over 10,000 applicants to Project Grants every year it would be impossible for RMs to speak to every applicant. They work across large geographic areas and are only able to spend an average of three days per month providing advice on Project Grants. This may include developing advice giving tool (such as information sheets), giving presentations on Project Grants at funding fairs, delivering advice sessions to groups of artists, or advising individuals via phone, email and sometimes face to face.

Apply online: Grantium Start / Complete your application Receive your decision Accept an offer of a grant Request payments Submit payment conditions Submit activity report forms Receive email notifications Grantium is our online application portal available through the Arts Council England website: Lots of help on our website, including videos and guidance documents. CUSTOMER SERVICES ARE THE REAL EXPERTS ON THIS SO IF YOU ARE STUCK, CONTACT THEM ON 0845 300 6200 or enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk The form will check applications before they are submitted – for instance, it will check if your budget is balanced and that you have answered every question. If you are asked Why we have Grantium? We had an organisational review in July 2013, as part of the Government's spending review. The aim of the review was to reduce our spending on administration costs. As well as an overall reduction in staff numbers, this new system was one of the final parts of this review. The Project Grants application criteria, application form, and questions we ask are not changing HELP There is lots of support to help you use the new system including videos and guidance on each step. See our website for more information. And applicants can call Customer Services.

Applying for funding: the key steps Step 1 – User Account, very simple, login and username Step 2 – Create applicant profile – Individual or organisation? ONLY DO THESE STEPS ONCE Step 3 – We need to make sure you’re you and that there’s only once of you on the system. This can take a few days, but this is a perfect time for your to READ THE HOW TO APPLY GUIDANCE AND ANY RELEVANT INFORMATION SHEETS  Steps 4 and 5 – Start your application, this opens with a short eligibility quiz to make sure you are applying for the right kind of activity before asking you about your project.

The application form Basic details The application form asks focused, directive questions relating to our four criteria; Quality Public engagement Finance Management The number of questions, and depth of information requested will increase in line with the value of the application Each of these four sections relates to a specific appraisal section and may be broken down into a few different sections made up of either question and answer types or tables to fill in (such as the budget) Quality – The “Great art and culture” part of our mission statement You and your project Public engagement – The “Everyone part of our missions statement” Who will engage with the activity and how Finance Budget – Income & expenditure Financial Management and experience Fair pay for artists, creatives, museum specialists and anyone involved in your project Management When/Where it will take place Who will lead on each part How it will be managed. (Complete the Project plan!) Why do we ask about finance and management? We are distributing £97.3m of lottery funds, we need to ensure that we are investing it responsibly! Amount and type of information requested dependent on value of application. So the more money you ask us for, the more information we will ask you for. TOP TIP: Our How to apply guidance goes through the application form step by step, giving further detail about the kind of information we want to see in the different sections of the form.

How we make decisions Eligibility check Risk check Finance and Management Written Appraisal against criteria Over £15k only Decision meeting Decision letter How we make decisions Grant Offer Ineligible Major Risk Unsuccessful Project Grants is a LIGHT TOUCH process, there is just one stage that you need to complete – the application form, there are no second rounds or further interviews. Applications for Over £15k go through an extra step which looks at the application in more detail. This enables us to make quick decisions and respond to the large volume of applications that we receive. Eligibility check – could the activity be funded through Project Grants? is the application form complete? 33% of applications we make ineligible are Underdeveloped (not enough information to make a decision) ensure you have READ THE GUIDANCE and been as clear and comprehensive as possible in your answers. Plan thoroughly. Risk Check – finance and management sections are reviewed to check that the activity is feasible. Eligibility and risk check are part of the investment centre review, carried out by an impartial centralised team in Manchester with artform and project management expertise. Appraisal against criteria – an additional step for larger grants (Over £15k). An RM from the applicants home area review the application against the four criteria (quality, PE, Management and finance). We take a more forensic approach to the over £15k because they are great financial risk to public money. £15k and under decision meeting - Artistic quality and public engagement sections are reviewed by a Senior Relationship Manager and Relationship Manager from the applicants’ home Area. Using the available budget, panel must fund a range of applications across art forms and geographic areas. Over £15k decision meeting - Appraisal scores and statements are reviewed by leadership team from the applicants’ home Area. Using the available budget, panel must fund a range of applications across art forms and geographic areas. Decision letter – Our online system, Grantium, will notify applicants via email once a decision has been made. Applicants can then log onto the system to view their letter. If you wish to reapply you are welcome to do so, but if we have identified any weaknesses. IF YOU ARE UNSUCCESSFUL – You can reapply, but you must think about the reasons your application was unsuccessful and address any weaknesses we have identified in your feedback. All applications for Over £15k receive their full written appraisal.

If you are successful One month to accept offer We will normally pay the money in stages 90% → 10% (£15k & Under) 50% → 40% → 10% (Over £15k) Acknowledge our funding and the National Lottery, using our funding mark appropriately Evaluate your work and fill in an activity report form at the end of the project When we make an offer it is conditional, the applicant must first of all accept the offer, before providing any further conditional information. We will usually chase the applicant to confirm rather than just saying, “right you've had your 30 days!” Interim Report forms must be submitted for interim payments and a final activity report form must be submitted for the final payment. Conditions monitored by Grant Management, Administrators & Assistants share the workload, bank details are only dealt with by administrators. We are no longer accepting proposals for underspends once the ARF has been submitted. Only if a reallocation of funds is agreed before the ARF is submitted will this be accepted.

Thank you Any Questions?