Network Funding

Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy works to empower cultural professionals from across the sector by supporting them to develop their practice and to find creative, entrepreneurial new approaches to fundraising. We believe that collaboration is powerful and that sharing ideas, building knowledge and developing new skills is key to the long-term resilience of our sector.

Our Networks Funding aims to support these beliefs. At various points throughout the year we offer financial support to groups or networks across England to help them grow and thrive. This has been through helping them to build robust partnerships, strengthen fundraising skills, or bringing together a group with the aim of developing a new discussion.

Virtual Networks Funding

We are operating in extraordinary circumstances and many of the conventional ways that networks choose to meet, and work will no longer be appropriate as the country adapts to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and our government’s guidance around social distancing and self-isolation.

As such, Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy brought forward our next allocation of Networks Funding to support the sector in thinking about new ways of working – innovative approaches to virtual support mechanisms, investing in software to help existing networks to sustain themselves, and ensuring that remote, sole fundraisers can feel part of something bigger during this difficult time. We believe that now more than ever robust and resilient fundraising is essential to the arts and cultural sectors.

CEO Michelle Wright says: "Our networks funding has always been an important part of what Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy aims to achieve. We believe that collaboration and sharing of ideas are vital for the arts and cultural sector to grow and thrive. With fundraisers more isolated than ever, and unable to build and maintain networks in traditional ways, it was crucial for us to support the development of networks that could help fundraisers. We are excited to see a range of innovation and enterprise ideas to support fundraisers adapt to a challenging environment.”

On May 11th we announced the first recipients of this iteration of our Networks funding:

BACKLIT Network - A schedule of online activities based around current needs, from Nottingham artist led gallery and studios BACKLIT.
The Black Country Funding Network for Arts and Culture - A new network of fundraisers and stakeholders from the arts and culture sector in the Black Country.
Fundraisers Support for National Association of Youth Theatres - A ‘Fundraisers Support Network’ within the NAYT.
In House Network - A support network for small arts organisations based at the Somerset House Exchange.
Leeds Dance Partnership Virtual Network - A series of virtual conversations and events which will be curated by independent artists, with expert input and professional facilitation from professionals.
Museum of the Home - The development of a fundraising video pitch to use in fundraising asks, the learning and process from which will be shared via peer networks.
Upper Norwood Library Trust (UNLT) - Internal corporate and individual giving training for Directors and Trustees, which will then delivered to the broader library network through webinars.
Virtual Network for East Midlands Caribbean Carnival Artists Network (emccan) - A new Virtual Network to support Caribbean Carnival Artists.
What Next? Brighton and Hove - A subgroup of Directors from Independent arts organisations from Brighton & Hove to explore the option of a collective crowdfunding campaign.

We want to ensure that what emerges from these networks will be embedded so we will additionally provide support to groups awarded funding in this round through access to our pool of Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy trainers.