The five levels of Arts Award support those up to the age of 25 to explore different artforms in increasing depth from fashion to sculpture, rapping to writing, dance to poetry.

Type: Development programme

Managed by Hayward Gallery, Southbank, the Arts Council Collection comprises over 7,500 works by over 2,000 artists and is one of the largest loan collections of contemporary British art in the UK. 

Type: Development programme

A £20 million social impact investment fund for socially driven arts, culture and heritage organisations registered and operating in the UK. The fund, run by Arts & Culture Finance, offers loans between £150,000 and £1 million repayable by 2030.

Type: Investment programme

Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings, accredited by Arts Council England.

Type: Development programme 

Arts Infopoint UK is run by Wales Arts International. We will work with Creative Scotland, Arts Council Wales and Arts Council Northern Ireland to build the capacity of Arts Infopoint UK and provide enhanced advice and support to the UK cultural sector with visa, work permit and immigration issues.

Type: Development programme

Programme aimed at encouraging a culture of giving across the country. The commissioned research, guidance and toolkits provide information on the motivation and barriers for giving. They are designed to help the sector with planning and fundraising as well as encouraging more individuals to give and get involved in giving networks across the country. 

Type: Development programme

The Building Digital Capacity programme provides digital skills development and commissioning support and is currently managed by The Space. It seeks to assist arts and cultural organisations to build their capacity to produce digital content and experiences and extend the reach of their work through greater understanding of how to reach audiences digitally.

Type: Development programme

The Arts Council is a founding partner in the Centre for Cultural Value, a national research centre based at the University of Leeds. It works alongside cultural practitioners and organisations, academics, funders and policymakers to:

• summarise existing evidence to make relevant research more accessible
• support the cultural sector to develop skills in research, evaluation and reflective practice
• convene discussions around questions of cultural value
• shape policy development
• offer funding for research partnerships through their Collaborate fund

Type: Development programme

The Collections Designation Scheme identifies and celebrates outstanding collections, which deepen our understanding of the world and what it means to be human.

Type: Development programme

The fund will invest in transformative place-based creative and cultural initiatives, unlocking local growth and productivity and regenerating communities through capital investment in culture.  Arts Council delivers the fund on behalf of DCMS as part of the wider Cultural Investment Fund. 

Type: Investment programme

The Creative Land Trust has been established with the Mayor of London and Bloomberg Philanthropies and Outset to secure long-term, affordable space for artists and creatives in London. It helps ensure a vibrant and prosperous future for this critical industry, enriching communities and strengthening the city. 

Type: Development programme 

Since 1997 the Designation Scheme has identified the best collections held in museums, libraries and archives across England. The founding aims were to raise the profile of these vital collections and encourage everyone to safeguard them. 

The award stimulates pride, support and cohesion within an organisation. It raises the profile of the collection nationally and internationally, and can open the door to new revenue streams, including Arts Council programmes. 

Type: Development programme

The Digital Culture Compass is an online toolkit developed in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support arts, culture and heritage organisations to integrate digital technology into their work. It has two elements: a Charter that outlines digital best practices; and a Tracker that allows organisations to assess their approach to digital technology and develop plans for future work. 

Type: Development programme

The Digital Culture Network aims to increase the digital skills and capability of the arts and cultural sector. It provides practical support through a team of Tech Champions with expertise in ecommerce, web design, content and streaming, data and analytics, email marketing, box office and CRM, SEO and PPC, digital strategy, and social media. The team, based across England, support organisations with one-to-one advice, webinars, workshops and by fostering partnerships with the tech sector.

Type: Development programme

A programme of literature and literacy focused activities currently delivered by BookTrust in partnership with the public library network and centred around the bookgifting scheme that places books in the hands of every child in the country. 

Type: Development programme

This programme aims to improve the resilience of arts organisations, museums and libraries that make a significant contribution to the Creative Case for Diversity, to encourage an increase of diverse led organisations within the National Portfolio.

Type: Funding programme

This programme provides support to the cultural sector on calculating and reporting carbon footprints for their organisations or projects, understanding their environmental impacts and developing policies and action plans. It will also offer developmental programme strands on governance (Board Environmental Champions and Leading Resilience), energy management (Transforming Energy) and climate leadership (Creative Climate Leadership lab), together with climate literacy e-learning, and a range of resources, webinars and briefings. The 2023-26 programme is managed by Julie’s Bicycle. 

Type: Development programme 

Export Licensing, a statutory UK-wide function, enables cultural objects to move across borders lawfully and, together with the Reviewing Committee, helps to retain national treasures in this country thereby enriching our collections.

Type: Development programme 

Free alternative to commercial insurance for UK museums and galleries, allowing public display of art and cultural objects. The National Security Adviser is responsible for assessing security risks, advising on the security and safety to national collections and loans under the terms of the UK Government Indemnity Scheme.

Type: Development programme

A programme that aims to inspire and transform the lives of children, using the power and disciplines of ensemble music-making. 

Type: Investment programme 

A resource and toolkit to help Arts Council England’s funded organisations to evaluate the impact of their work on the people who experience it. Currently managed by Counting What Counts.

Type: Development programme 

Annual programmes delivered in partnership with the Local Government Association to build leadership, capacity, skills and knowledge within local government. Separate programmes to support culture portfolio holders and senior cultural officers. 

Type: Development programme

An annual series of facilitated peer challenges for library services and cultural services teams within local authorities. The challenges are based on the successful peer challenges model widely used in local government to support service improvement and share good practice. Funded by Arts Council England and delivered in partnership with the Local Government Association. 

Type: Development programme

The Accreditation Scheme sets out nationally agreed standards to ensure all museums are sustainable, focused and trusted, inspiring the confidence of the public and funding and governing bodies. It is delivered in partnership across the UK. Decisions on the Accredited status of museums are made by the Accreditation Committee, a sub-committee of Arts Council England’s National Council. 

Type: Development programme

The Museum Development programme, provides business-to-business development support for regional museums across England with a priority on those which are not within our National Portfolio. The 2024-26 programme, delivered by a network of Area-based partners with support from Arts Council England, has a focus on embedding the Investment Principles in museums and helping get more Arts Council England investment to more museums via programmes, training, interventions and small grants.

Type: Development programme 

The Museum Estate and Development Fund is an open-access capital fund targeted at non-national Accredited museums and local authorities based in England to apply for funding to undertake vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance backlogs which are beyond the scope of day-to-day maintenance budgets. Arts Council delivers the fund on behalf of DCMS as part of the wider Cultural Investment Fund. 

Type: Investment programme

National Saturday Clubs give young people aged 13–16 the opportunity to study art and design subjects every Saturday morning at their local art and design college or university for free. The programme focuses on building young people’s creative skills and life skills such as team-working, communication and problem solving. 

Type: Development programme

The National Youth Dance Company provides young people from all backgrounds with the chance to develop high level skills and progress their professional careers.  Young dancers aged 16-19 work with world-class choreographers through a year-long programme of activity which includes residential courses and performance opportunities.

Type: Development programme

A regular survey which collects information and data on the contributed income (individuals, trusts and foundations and business) raised by National Portfolio Organisations and the wider creative and cultural sector to support their fundraising planning and strategy development. The last survey was published in 2022. 

Type: Development programme 

The Libraries Improvement Fund will enable library services across England to invest in a range of projects to upgrade buildings and technology so they are better placed to respond to the changing ways people are using them. Arts Council delivers the fund on behalf of DCMS as part of the wider Cultural Investment Fund. 

Type: Investment programme

Previously known as the Single Digital Presence for Public Libraries, this ongoing research and development initiative led by the British Library aims to develop a single national digital platform for public libraries. It will also support local authorities to develop their own local library web presences to optimise interaction with the national platform. A beta site is now accessible to the public and a grants scheme will allow services to enhance their digital offers and/or integrate with LibraryOn now or in the future.

Type: Development programme

Summer Arts Colleges offer a structured programme of high-quality arts provision for young people from the care and criminal justice system. Three-week programmes around the country re-engage young people in education, training and employment through the provision of vibrant art experiences. Delivered in partnership with Unitas. 

Type: Development programme

A 25-year longitudinal research programme with De Montfort University Leicester to identify cultural interventions that will increase support and opportunities for children from less engaged groups to develop their individual talent.

Type: Development programme

Managed by the V&A, this fund enables museums across the country to acquire significant objects which enhance and develop their collection. Through the acquisitions it supports, the Collections Purchase Fund helps to develop and strengthen the quality and standards of regional collections for the understanding and enjoyment of the public.

Type: Investment programme

Supports  children and young people who face barriers because of who they are, where they live, or what they’re going through to access music and arts projects. Currently managed by Youth Music. 

Type: Investment programme

A programme to create more and better volunteering opportunities for young people and others who experience barriers .These volunteering activities across the arts, heritage, museums, libraries, sport, youth and other community setting will take place between 2022 and March 2024. Delivered through a time limited priority within National Lottery Project Grants.