NPAC’s Current Initiatives

New Philanthropy for Arts & Culture is a developing network as well as a resource for arts organisations and their supporters. Here are some of the projects we’re working on right now.

Arts for Impact – a matched funding opportunity

NPAC is partnering with the Big Give, the UK’s leading match fund platform, on its inaugural Arts for Impact Matched Funding campaign. The campaign is aimed at supporting arts and culture charities working to achieve societal impact across the UK. The campaign aims to raise £2 million for the sector over a period of 7 days between the 19 – 26 March 2024. Applications from charities interested in participating are now open.

The campaign will see the public’s generosity multiplied, as donations to the participating charities will be doubled by the Big Give’s Arts for Impact match fund, which has been supported by generous ‘champions’, typically philanthropists, foundations or companies.

The application window for arts charities to participate in the campaign is open until Friday 15 December. Further information about how to apply and the application and selection process can be accessed on the Big Give website.

Creating regional networks of place-based philanthropists

We’re working on establishing and supporting up to 10 regional philanthropy networks around the UK. Focused on specific places, these groups will be modelled to accommodate the geographical specific needs of each area in which they operate, those models having been researched and developed during NPAC’s work to date.

NPAC will focus on supporting regional philanthropists to develop their role in establishing local networks.

Networks are being supported and developed in Sunderland, Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds, Stoke and Middlesborough, with networks in early planning in Gloucester and Hastings & Rother with further locations to be identified.

If you’d like to join one of our networks (or have ideas for starting a network of your own!), please get in touch.

Nurturing the next generation of arts trustees, and creating a new cohort of arts supporters

NPAC is supporting the creation of a new organisation, Responsible Influence in Arts & Culture (RIAC) in response to the challenge of identify new trustees to lead our arts and cultural organisations into the future. The idea for RIAC was born out of a discussion among four former colleagues from UBS who are passionate about and involved at board level in the broad spectrum of the arts.

RIAC has the principal aim of establishing a ‘next generation cohort’ of passionate individuals, with relevant skillsets, who can assume the baton from the current generation of board members and help mentor the next. You can read more about RIAC’s work on the RIAC website.

RIAC will develop a network of interested individuals, with a diverse range of skills and professional backgrounds, to put themselves forwards as potential trustees or mentors for arts organisations.

Alongside these ‘next gen’ trustees, some NPAC founder members will be invited to join a roster of senior arts trustees and philanthropists who are willing to act as mentors, while the NPAC team and senior leadership will reach out to organisations across the arts sector to establish a diverse list of selected organisations with trustee vacancies. Please get in touch if you are interested in learning more about these initiatives.

Ongoing support for the arts and culture sector

NPAC is creating, updating and developing our web resource for the sector including the arts philanthropy toolkit so do check out that area of our website.

We continue to maintain a dialogue with both ACE and DCMS, to align our thinking with initiatives around philanthropy and work together to create opportunities for increased philanthropic engagement.

Sir Vernon Ellis (chair) and Anna Rowe (project director) from NPAC recently presented as part of the Association of British Orchestras spring 2023 conference in Leeds under the heading “Building Resilience through Philanthropy”.

It was great to connect with so many arts and culture professionals in such a positive space to talk about philanthropy, why it’s vital (especially in 2023), and to share ideas for building capacity.

Delegate feedback included “I could have spent all afternoon in that one session”.