Catalyst Arts

For full information on all the Catalyst programmes visit catalyst-artsandheritage.org.uk

Catalyst offers organisations the opportunity to move their fundraising and development expertise on to the next level, whatever their current starting point. Through all strands of the Catalyst initiative, we aim to attract creative and innovative applications that will test a range of fundraising approaches, from bottom-up audience development and other fundraising techniques, to the development, for those who are ready, of an endowment fund.

Catalyst: endowments

Important notice: Applicant notifications date change
We originally advised applicants that they would receive notification of the outcome of their applications by 31 March 2012. However, we are coordinating the Catalyst: endowments decision making process with a number of stakeholders, including Heritage Lottery Fund, DCMS and the external Advisory Panel – which has added two weeks to our published timeline.  In addition all of the organisations involved are restricted by Cabinet Office guidelines on making public announcements in the weeks approaching local government and Mayoral elections, which this year will be held on 3 May 2012. We will let you know of our decision on 20 June 2012.

As a result, successful applicants will start the three years of their Catalyst activity from the date of the funding agreement, not from 1 April 2012. Relationship Managers can discuss the timetable with you in May.

If you have any queries please contact our enquiries team on 0845 300 6200 or at enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk

Applications are now closed

Catalyst: endowments is a £55m culture sector wide scheme funded jointly by the DCMS, Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England. It offers match funding for the purpose of building a new endowment fund, or increasing an existing one.

For more information visit catalyst-artsandheritage.org.uk

Catalyst Arts: capacity building and match funding scheme

Applications closed 31 March 2012

The £30 million Catalyst Arts: capacity building and match funding scheme will support organisations in building their fundraising capacity and capability over a three-year period. Grants of between £120,000 and £240,000 have been awarded to 173 organisations. We received over 350 applications to the scheme.

You can download the full list of successful applicants, and information for grantees using the links on the right.

The three-year timescale recognises that changing the way organisations work and generating a continuous flow of new sources of funding will take time. We are investing in organisations committed to making a step-change in their approach to fundraising so that they become more financially and organisationally resilient. Our aim is to help the arts sector to attract new money now and in the longer term to be invested in additional artistic activity.

Organisations will use funds in the first year to gear up resources and build capacity. In the second and third years, funding will increasingly be used as match funding to incentivise donations. Organisations who applied to this scheme were expected to have some experience in fundraising and show commitment to wanting to raise their game in this area.

Catalyst Arts: fundraising capacity building grants

This strand of the Catalyst scheme aims to support arts organisations with little or no fundraising experience who would like to build their fundraising capacity and capability to attract new donors and strengthen their financial resilience to enhance their artistic output or engagement with the public.

We intended to open a fundraising and capacity building scheme on 1 April 2012, however the proposed activity set out in the applications to the Catalyst endowments and Capacity building schemes is telling us more about how organisations can develop their fundraising and development activities. We think therefore it makes sense to look again at how our investment can best support organisations with little or no fundraising experience in the light of this information. We also want to review our approach once funding decisions for the Catalyst endowments and Catalyst capacity building and match funding are known, so that we can make sure this third strand of activity is complementary to the other two.

We will use this learning and evidence base to refine our approach to fundraising and capacity building support for the sector, and are aiming to launch the next stage of our organisational resilience work in Autumn 2012.

Arts organisations who are not in the National portfolio are reminded that they may wish to consider making an application to Grants for the arts for organisational development to support resilience and business development.     

Museums, galleries and libraries' eligibility for Catalyst funding

Arts Council England has now assumed responsibility for museum and library sector development and improvement in England from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

For lottery funded programmes, including Catalyst, museums, galleries and libraries should continue to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund  unless they are seeking funding for an arts project, in which case they should apply to the Arts Council.

For more information download the funding eligibility grid below.

Funding eligibility grid
Funding eligibility grid

The bigger picture

These schemes represent some of the measures we are 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 framework for the arts.

Further initiatives which will form part of the £100 million scheme to boost private giving to the arts will be announced shortly.

Catalyst: endowments is a £55m culture sector wide scheme funded jointly by the DCMS, Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England. It offers match funding for the purpose of building a new endowment fund, or increasing an existing one.