ACE extends National Portfolio to 2027

Arts Council England is extending its 2023-26 National Portfolio investment by an additional year in response to "external challenges" the sector is facing.

The funding body announced today (18 January) that arts and culture organisations funded through the portfolio can apply for an extension to their funding, with details of the short application process being shared in the coming months.

"We hope this will provide some certainty and security which will allow organisations to plan, look at new business models and increase collaboration," a statement issued by ACE said.

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The move follows a similar decision by ACE in October to extend its 2022-25 Creative People and Places (CPP) for one year in response to "challenges facing organisations following the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living".

Writing in a blog explaining the decision ACE Chief Executive Darren Henley said the sector is facing challenges which, even on their own, "seem hard for any artist, arts organisation, museum or library to face".

"Piling one on top of another, it’s easy to understand how they cause a sense of being overwhelming," he said.

"We’ve heard the concerns of all people in the sector from board level to volunteers. There are worries about the lasting impact of the pandemic – with audiences unpredictable and with talent leaving.

"Inflation means higher bills for individuals and organisations. Pressure on our funds creates more competition. And there’s uncertainty about future investment, illustrated most starkly by some recent Local Authority section 114 notices."

Henley said he hopes the extension of the National Portfolio will "provide some certainty in an uncertain world and allow organisations to plan, look at new business models and increase collaboration".

But he did concede that some organisations will be disappointed as they’d hoped to apply for the chance to join the next National Portfolio sooner.

"For those organisations we will continue to support your plans and help you develop in other ways for this additional year," he said.

'Doing less'

Henley goes on to suggest NPOs may be able to do less in terms of output than contractually required under the terms of their funding agreements, saying the current pressures organisations and individuals face "might mean doing less to maintain quality, or turning to the tried and tested".

"Whether project funding recipients or regularly funded organisations, we understand and want you to share revised plans with us. It can be hard to open up to a funder about problems, but let me assure you everyone is struggling to different degrees in this difficult environment.

"Our teams will listen with empathy."

He also acknowledged that people working within the sector may currently feel "fragile and alone".

"A thoughtful change maker recently pointed out to me that many of us have been practising endurance, not resilience, since the start of the pandemic," he said.

"Their words have stayed with me. I think a good use of 2024 would be for us, in partnership, to consider how to build resilience at a sector and individual level, so we can all sustain our commitment to the work, the audiences, the participants and the next generation – that matter to us.

"I don’t pretend for one minute there are easy solutions to the current challenges we face. I don’t pretend that we can protect everything or everyone, as much as I wish we could. But I do think we will spark ideas if we work together.

"We will do our best to play our part in that work in 2024."