Arts Council England’s Catalyst: Evolve Programme

The Arts Council England’s Catalyst: Evolve Programme will open to applications on 14 January 2016.

The Evolve programme is a new £17.5million initiative designed to support organisations with a limited track record in fundraising to enable them to attract more private giving. The programme builds on the work of the first Catalyst programme, and forms part of the Arts Council's wider Goal 3 ambition, which is to support organisations to become more resilient through diversifying their income sources.

Grants of between £75,000 and £150,000 are available to arts organisations that are registered charities or community interest companies for a period of up to three years. Consortia are welcome to apply providing there is a clearly identified lead applicant and all organisations involved are registered charities or community interest companies.

Within these amounts, the figure applied for must include:
The amount of match funding that is being sought (not less than 70%).
The amount of investment that is being sought from Arts Council England (not more than 30%).

The Fund aims to support organisations to develop their fundraising activity through:
Offering match funding to incentivise new philanthropic giving.
Investing in the skills, capacity and culture of organisations to better enable them to raise a sustainable source of income from private giving.

No more than 30% of the total grant applied for can be spent on organisational development. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
Training and professional development for board members, staff and volunteers.
Investment in systems such as an appropriate donor or patron database.
Establishing new donation collection mechanisms including use of digital and technology.
Investing in fundraising capacity.
Prospect research.
Developing new appeals and campaigns.

Arts Council England is particularly interested in supporting activities which incentivise regular, low level giving from individuals.

The online application form will open on 14 January 2016 with a deadline of 19 February 2016 (midday).

For more information visit http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/apply-funding/funding-programmes/catalyst-arts/catalyst-evolve/