The exercise is the Arts Council’s Investment Review 2020 and follows similar reviews in 2010 and 2015. The consultation closes on 10 January 2020.

The Arts Council currently provides funding of around £28.5 million to a national network of 67 revenue-funded organisations who receive funding each year from the Arts Council.  These organisations, the Arts Portfolio Wales, include internationally significant organisations such as Welsh National Opera and Wales Millennium Centre, major local centres such as Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Ruthin Craft Centre and more community‑based organisations such as Valleys Kids and Head for Arts.

Existing Portfolio members are being invited to apply for continued funding alongside the opportunity for new organisations to present their case for inclusion in the Portfolio.  Final funding decisions will take effect from 1 April 2021.

The focus of this Investment Review is encouraging more people in Wales to enjoy and take part in the arts.  The Arts Council remains committed to supporting work of the highest quality, but it is equally determined that publicly funded arts activity should reach more widely across the full range of the Welsh public.

Commenting today, Phil George, Chair Arts Council of Wales said:

“Public funding for the arts has always had twin goals: the pursuit of excellence, and the promotion of access to enable more people to enjoy and benefit from the arts.  But until comparatively recently, it’s the former which has usually been favoured at the expense of the latter.   This needs to change because it can’t be right that the benefits of the publicly‑funded arts are so narrowly enjoyed. Reaching out to new audiences and participants is the key headline of this Investment Review.”

Continuing, Arts Council of Wales Chief Executive, Nick Capaldi said:

“The decisions that we take over the coming year will have a far‑reaching impact.  We want to support the very best arts organisations in Wales and will be looking with particular interest for organisations that have imaginative and effective ways of getting people involved in their activities.  Given this, it’s very important that we’re clear about what we’re trying to achieve and that we consult widely on the processes that we’re planning to adopt.”