Our history

1940    Committee for Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) set up by Royal Charter

1941    John Maynard Keynes becomes Chair of CEMA

1945    46 art organisations are funded by CEMA

1946    Keynes dies shortly before Arts Council charter drafted

1948    Local government authorises spending on the arts

1951    Festival of Britain

1955    Arts Council increases the amount of grant-receiving organisations to 92, including the Royal Opera House and Royal Court Theatre

1964    Jennie Lee appointed as first Arts Minister

1967    Arts Council Charter renewed

1975    Arts Council supports 262 organisations

1984    Glory Of the Garden report published by the Arts Council, claiming inequitable funding between London and the regions

1987    Norman Tebbitt campaigns for restructure of Arts Council funding system

1989    Wilding report published, claiming further underfunding in the regions

1992    Department of National Heritage formed

1993    National Lottery Act passed

1994    Arts Council of Great Britain replaced with National Arts Councils, National Lottery          

1997    Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) created. Chris Smith becomes first Secretary of State for DCMS, a senior cabinet post

2002    The Arts Council of England and the 10 regional arts boards merge

2003    The new organisation is named Arts Council England

2008    McMaster report published

2010    Arts Council England publishes Achieving great art for everyone (PDF, 165.97 KB), our 10-year strategic framework for the arts

2011    Arts Council England assumed new responsibilities for the support and development of museums and libraries

2012    In the year of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, millions experienced the culmination of the four-year Arts Council-supported Cultural Olympiad programme, showcasing art and culture in England on a world stage

2013    Reflecting its newly expanded remit, the 10-year strategic framework was refreshed to Great art and culture for everyone (PDF, 488.03 KB)

2020    Arts Council England publishes Let’s Create, our strategy for the next ten years which sets out our vision that by 2030 England will be a country in which everyone’s creativity is valued and given the opportunity to flourish and we all have access to a range of high-quality cultural experiences. 

2020-21    We launch our emergency response to address the Covid-19 crisis, including helping distribute the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, a £1.57 billion fund supporting cultural organisations through the impact of the pandemic.