Concern that arts bodies are not finding the organisation “as relevant and useful and productive as [it] should be” has prompted Arts & Business (A&B) to launch an online consultation to canvass opinion on its future strategy. The consultation exercise comes in the wake of Arts Council England’s (ACE) review of Regularly Funded Organisations earlier this year, when A&B was allocated an annual budget reduced from £6m to £4m for 2008/09, subject to a review in the latter half of the current financial year to decide whether ACE will continue to fund the organisation or withdraw its funding from April 2009. A&B’s interim website offers 12 potential services or schemes, with the opportunity to comment on each. These include ‘free online access to basic information, advice and best practice’, ‘partner[ing] with existing training providers to provide… professional development in fundraising, philanthropy and other forms of commercial income development’, and ‘an annual national conference… profiling UK and international exemplar corporate-cultural partnerships and best practice in philanthropy’. A&B also suggests lobbying on specific issues on behalf of the arts and cultural sectors, promoting recognition of individual philanthropy through awards and media campaigns, and continuing its board development work. It is also considering hosting a number of seminars and workshops. A number of changes have also been made to its network of offices in England. Its East and West Midlands offices have merged into a single office in Birmingham, and its London office will be reorganised to cover issues both nationally and in the capital. The changes will involve the creation of a number of new positions, including an Arts Team to be led by a Director of Arts.
w: http://www.aandb.org.uk
Published: 08-09-2008