NPO decisions: ACE announces organisations leaving London

Arts Council England has announced that 24 organisations will be funded through its Transfer Programme which aims to relocate both existing and new national portfolio organisations out of London by October 2024.

The Programme was devised in response to the government’s Levelling Up agenda and following instruction from DCMS to reallocate 15% of the total investment to organisations outside the capital. 

The list of transferring organisations includes 18 National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) and six Investment Principles Support Organisations (IPSOs).

READ MORE: 

• NPO decisions: Enlarged portfolio shifts funding away from London
• ACE National Portfolio 2023-26: Transfer Programme explained

Applications from organisations to leave London were entirely voluntary. As Sir Nicholas Serota said at this morning’s (Friday 4 November) press conference: “None of these organisations have been compelled to leave London. We simply invited those who would be interested in working outside of London to put in an application, and 24 of those were successful.” 

Unsurprisingly, the successful organisations opting to leave were, in the main, those not tied to a venue. They include English Touring Opera and Orchestras for All, as well as theatre touring companies Headlong and Paines Plough.

IPSOs support organisations across the cultural sector to embed ACE’s investment principles in their work.  

The six of these that will transfer out of London include Clore Leadership which joins the portfolio as a support organisation for the first time. 

Chair of Clore Leadership Moira Sinclair said this will "enable [us] to continue investing in and supporting our cultural leaders".

" [T]hose that lead our libraries, theatres, galleries, creative industries studios and arts centres matter too and need support to thrive under very real pressure. Clore Leadership commits to using all our resources to help them and our sector in the coming years."

Other IPSOs include Making Music – the National Federation of Music Societies, and Stagetext, the deaf-led charity making culture accessible to all.

All organisations have two years to relocate their main offices outside London. Once they have moved, they then become eligible to apply for an additional year of funding. 

Full list of NPOs in the Transfer Programme

British Youth Music Theatre 
Dedalus Ltd
English Touring Opera Ltd 
Film and Video Umbrella
Furtherfield.org
Headlong Theatre 
Improbable 
Mercury Musical Developments
Modus Arts
Music for Youth 
National Youth Jazz Collective
Orchestras for All
Paines Plough
Paraiso School of Samba 
Shape London
Theatre Centre 
Theatre de Complicité Education 
Upswing Aerial Ltd 

Full list of IPSOs in the Transfer Programme

Clore Leadership Programme
Cultural Cooperation 
Libraries Connected 
Making Music 
National Association for Gallery Education
Stagetext