Arts Alive Wales is an
educational arts charity based in Crickhowell, Powys. We are driven by a
passion for using the arts to engage, inspire and enhance the quality of life
of people in our local rural communities. We work across Mid and
South East Wales with professional artists to provide opportunities for active
and meaningful participation in the arts, particularly for adults and children
whose lives are challenging. Arts Alive Wales (www.artsalivewales.org.uk), is a small
but dynamic charity offering a range of high quality opportunities for art
engagement, working with a wide range of community groups.
How we go about fundraising
Arts Alive Wales, has limited
resources, and currently employs a fundraiser for one day a week. This person
is both fundraiser and development officer, and helps with new project ideas
and with the strategic development of the organisation. Fundraising for Arts
Alive Wales is a continual challenge, particularly in the current economic
climate and the greater competition that there is for pots of money. The Arts
are not a high priority for most funders, and so we must continually
develop and adapt ourselves, be creative and responsive to opportunities, as
well as focus on building a strong evidence base, so that when we do apply for
funding, we have lots of research and consultation evidence to call upon. We make a
range of funding applications to both large and small trusts for different
purposes. However our real challenge is always ensuring that we have adequate
core funding available, particularly when funders often want 'new activity' and
new 'additional' projects. We organise a bi-annual Fine
Art Auction, the proceeds of which contribute significantly to our running
costs- it is also an opportunity to raise the profile of Arts Alive Wales, and
a thoroughly entertaining and exciting event in itself. The last one took place
in March at the Angel Hotel in Abergavenny and raised over £16,000.
Challenges that we face
We are not a revenue funded
organisation, but depend entirely on project funding, commissions, event
fundraising and earnt income. We try and maintain a diversity of income streams
so that if one income stream ends, that we still have other incomes to rely on.
As we are a small staff team ( 3 part-time workers), a big challenge for us is
to keep on top of all the different community projects we run, whilst also
needing to take a step back, monitor and evaluate our work and do all the other
things that need to be done such as marketing and promotion, administration,
financial record keeping, liaising with partners, developing ideas with
artists, exhibiting work, writing up reports, and all the health/safety and
risk assessment side of things. We also have a full programme of activities and
classes for the community and this requires alot of planning and management to
ensure that the programme continues to be fresh and exciting, and that the
needs of our customers continue to be met. We have lovely premises in a converted
Victorian School House, yet this can also be challenging as the building
currently requires some modifications to make it more accessible.
Tips for Success
Our main tip for success is to ensure
that as an organisation, you are able to evidence your impact and that you
record your successes and positive outcomes. Whether this is a case study of an
individual whose life has been transformed by your service, or evidence of the
changes in a community that have been brought about by your work, or a really
good consultation with your target group, we have always found that we have had
the most success when we have been able to strongly evidence and argue our
case, and our 'need'. It is also very useful for someone associated with your
charity to read your funding applications so that they can give you neutral
feedback.
Recent News
We have had some recent funding success
with £5,000 awarded by the Big Lottery's 'Awards 4 All' scheme, and another
£5000 from the John Paul Getty Trust. And we have just had news of another
successful bid to the Dulverton Trust for £2,500. All these grants will go
towards community art projects working alongside people who are at risk of
homelessness. We are also in the process of developing a project for young
people who are 'not in school' due to a mental health issue or other barrier
which has resulted in them being 'school refusers', based up our research that
shows that there are growing numbers of children and young people who are
'school-phobic' and for whom there is limited support.
A big thank you to Arts Alive for sharing that information and being so honest. Keep in touch and congratulations on your recent funding success!
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