Programme - general
Q1: How much funding is available and over what period?
Q2: How many projects do you expect to fund?
Q3: How big are the grants being awarded in the large-scale programme?
Q4: What do you mean by a balance of projects?
Q5: Does this mean more large-scale arts buildings across the country?
Q7: What kind of improvements do you think will improve resilience and sustainability?
Q10: How is this different to capital programmes of the past?
Q11: When will the next round of applications to the capital programme for large grants be open?
Q13: When will the small-scale capital fund be open?
Eligibility, application and assessment
Q14: Is the scheme only open to National portfolio organisations?
Q15: Can museums and libraries apply?
Q16: Are you giving organisations enough time to put together their applications?
Q17: How do organisations apply?
Q18: What are the stages of the application process?
Q19: Why are there two stages?
Q20: How will you decide which applications go through to stage two?
Q21: Who will assess applications?
Q22: Who will make a decision on stage one applications?
Q23: When will you decide and announce who has gone through to stage two?
Q24: How will you assess if an organisation is capable of delivering a project?
Q25: How much funding will be available after stage one so organisations can prepare for stage two?
Programme - general
Q1: How much funding is available and over what period?
A: £200 million has been budgeted for capital over the four-year period from National Lottery funding.
The large-scale programme for grants above £500,000 has a budget of £180 million over the next four years. The budget will be managed as a series of rounds with the budget divided as follows:
- 2011/12 - £80 million
- 2012/13 - £50 million
- 2013/14 - £50 million
£20 million has been budgeted for small-scale grants (under £500,000). Further details will be announced in the coming months.
Q2: How many projects do you expect to fund?
A: We cannot speculate the number of projects we will fund until we know the details of the applications. Due to the limited funds available we are unlikely to invite more than a small number of projects in each round to submit a stage two application.
Q3: How big are the grants being awarded in the large-scale programme?
A: Organisations can apply to the large-scale programme for grants of £500,000 or more. Grants in excess of £5 million are likely to be exceptional.
We expect organisations to attract other sources of income and would normally expect to fund no more than 70% of the total cost, and in most cases substantially less.
Q4: What do you mean by a balance of projects?
A: We are aiming to support a mix of projects of varying sizes and delivery timescales, though this is of course subject to the proposals we receive. We have limited funds available and expect there to be significant demand for investment meaning there will be good applications we are unable to support.
Q5: Does this mean more large-scale arts buildings across the country?
A: Our previous capital programmes attempted to address the decades of underinvestment in the arts infrastructure of England. This programme will prioritise the consolidation and improvement of existing buildings and equipment rather than investing in significant expansion or new infrastructure, and will support our goal of making the arts more sustainable and resilient.
We will help organisations to develop resilience by having the right capital assets to deliver their work and become more sustainable and innovative businesses. This includes increasing the environmental performance of buildings to support the reduction in carbon emissions in the arts sector.
Q6: If someone comes to you with a really exciting project which includes constructing a new building, is there any chance you would fund it?
A: There may be exceptional circumstances where we grant permission for this type of project but our budget for this programme is limited and will be very much focused on improving existing buildings. Applications for new buildings for the arts are ineligible unless we have agreed in writing beforehand. A project of this nature will need to demonstrate the long-term effect it would have on the organisation, including how any additional running costs will be met in the longer term.
Q7: What kind of improvements do you think will improve resilience and sustainability?
A: We expect projects to include a range of capital expenditure. This could include, for example, improvements that enable organisations to reconfigure current spaces to generate more income, install sustainable technologies to reduce energy demand or to improve current facilities to enable improved delivery of their work for artists and audiences.
Q8: Is this the best time to invest in capital? Wouldn't the funding be better used being invested in core funding for arts organisations?
A: This capital programme will be funded from our lottery income and is one of the ways the Arts Council will use its lottery funding in flexible ways alongside grant-in-aid investment.
The capital programme is one of a number of measures Arts Council England is putting in place to help create a more sustainable, resilient and innovative arts sector - one of the five goals set out in Achieving great art for everyone, our 10-year strategic framework for the arts. Funding will be used to help organisations become more sustainable and resilient businesses, something we feel is even more important in the current funding climate.
We feel it's vital that as well as investing in core costs and artistic programmes, we support the improved resilience and sustainability of the existing arts infrastructure.
Q9: How will you ensure organisations won't need more revenue funding once their building is extended?
A: We want to ensure that projects we support are financially viable. Applicants are asked to consider the impact of any capital project on their organisation and its activities, both during the project and on its completion, as there will be no additional funding (capital or revenue) available from us at a later stage.
Q10: How is this different to capital programmes of the past?
A: Our previous capital programmes attempted to address the decades of underinvestment in the arts infrastructure of England by investing in major refurbishments and entirely new buildings where access and engagement in the arts was limited.
This programme represents a new approach to using our capital funds, with investment focused on improving existing arts buildings to make them more economically and environmentally sustainable and to give arts organisations the right buildings and equipment to support the delivery of their work.
Q11: When will the next round of applications to the capital programme for large grants be open?
A: We anticipate opening our second round in the second quarter of the 2012/13 financial year. We will publish further details on our website in the coming months.
Q12: Why have you prioritised large grants? What about organisations who need a grant of less than £500,000 to improve their resilience?
A: This capital programme is focused on larger grants but we have budgeted £20 million over the four-year period for capital grants of less than £500,000. Details of the fund will be announced in the coming months.
Q13: When will the small-scale capital fund be open?
A: Details of the fund will be announced in the coming months.
Eligibility, application and assessment
Q14: Is the scheme only open to National portfolio organisations?
A: Organisations that are not in our National portfolio are able to apply but they must first seek written permission to apply from their Arts Council regional office. We are only likely to agree if the organisation can demonstrate its project will make a significant contribution to achieving great art for everyone.
Our National portfolio represents the bedrock of our support for the arts in England and this programme is an important way of helping make the portfolio of organisations we fund more sustainable and resilient.
Q15: Can museums and libraries apply?
A: Whilst the Arts Council is taking on new functions relating to the museums and libraries sector, our lottery funding is provided to benefit the arts in England.
As the funding for our capital programme is provided from lottery sources, museums and libraries are able to apply if they are able to demonstrate that their project outcomes will contribute to the original strategic framework, Achieving great for everyone.
Museums and libraries looking to apply to the scheme must seek written permission to apply from their Arts Council regional office.
Q16: Are you giving organisations enough time to put together their applications?
A: We acknowledge that the 6 December 2011 deadline for the first round of applications is fairly short. We envisage that applications for this round will be from organisations already planning their capital project as we expect organisations to have already undertaken work that demonstrates the need for the project before applying.
Organisations that need more time to plan their project can choose to apply to the capital programme in 2012/13 and 2013/14, giving them plenty of time to put together their application.
Q17: How do organisations apply?
A: We have published full guidance for applicants on the Arts Council website. Organisations looking to apply are advised to read this guidance and contact their regional Arts Council office before submitting their stage one application online.
Q18: What are the stages of the application process?
A: There are two stages to the applications process:
- Stage one - organisations complete an application form telling us about their proposed capital project, the amount of funding they would like from the Arts Council and how the project will contribute to our long-term goals for the arts. Applications will then be assessed and the Arts Council will let organisations know whether they have been invited to complete a stage two application and how much funding we have provisionally set aside for their project.
- Stage two - organisations invited to stage two will need to complete a second application to secure the funding we have set aside. We will assess stage two applications at a well developed stage so that we can ensure that projects are will be well managed, financially viable and sustainable in the longer term, without the need for unplanned capital or revenue. Section six of the guidance provides further details. This application can be submitted at any time within 18 months of our stage one decision.
Q19: Why are there two stages?
A: The application process has two stages so we can:
- assess planned projects at stage one before organisations spend the time and expense working up a more detailed application
- provide organisations an indication of the amount of funding to apply for at stage two, to help you plan your project and support your discussions with other funders or stakeholders
- assess stage two applications at a well-developed stage so that we can ensure projects will be well managed, financially viable and sustainable in the longer term, without the need for unplanned capital or revenue
- plan and allocate our resources appropriately
Q20: How will you decide which applications go through to stage two?
A: We will make our decisions based on the published criteria set out in the application guidance.
Applications will first be assessed on their individual merits against this criteria.
It is likely that there will be more applications that meet these criteria than available funding. To achieve the final list of organisations to progress to stage two, we will consider the following three areas to balance the projects funded against the available budget in each round:
- timescales - we will take into account the need to achieve a range of projects with varying delivery timescales, and timescales for spending any grant from us
- partnership funding - the extent to which the projects overall will secure funding from other sources
- risk - the extent of the risks to the overall balance of projects
Q21: Who will assess applications?
A: Applications will be assessed at stage one by relationship managers in each regional office. Stage two applications will be assessed by the investment team in our head office.
Q22: Who will make a decision on stage one applications?
A: Final decisions on who to invite to make a stage two application will be made by the Arts Council's Executive Board.
Q23: When will you decide and announce who has gone through to stage two?
A: For the first round of applications we will let organisations know if they will be invited to make a stage two application by 2 April 2012.
Q24: How will you assess if an organisation is capable of delivering a project?
A: Part of the stage one assessment is about whether an organisation has the capacity, skills and experience to deliver the project proposed, with organisations asked to provide evidence of this in their application.
The stage two application will ask organisations to provide details of how the project will be managed and the controls that will be in place to ensure it meets the timetable and budget. This gives us a clear picture of whether the organisation is capable of delivering the project before significant funds are awarded.
Q25: How much funding will be available after stage one so organisations can prepare for stage two?
A: We recognise that putting together a stage two application could be costly.
If successful at stage one, we may award development funding on a case by case basis to help organisations undertake the work required to develop their project to be ready for submission at stage two.
Organisations are able to request a development grant as part of their stage one application.
