Evaluation of the impact of the Arts Council of Wales Edinburgh Fringe Funding Review 2013-2024
The context
The Arts Council of Wales wishes to commission an evaluation of the process and impact of our funding in support of artists attendance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and to discern if there are other similar sector showcase opportunities that may be worthy of consideration to help support artists to attend.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. The Festival is attended by audiences, programmers, promoters and producers from across the UK and the World.
Arts Council of Wales has distributed Lottery funding supporting artists to attend and present their work at the Edinburgh fringe since 2013. The Wales in Edinburgh programme is a showcase fund which supports Welsh and Wales-based artists to present their work on a UK and international platform, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in order to reach new audiences, develop sustainable relationships and enrich their practice and enhancing their touring patterns outside of Wales. This has been supported by Wales in Edinburgh, often linked in with British council to help raise the profile of the Welsh artists and bring them into contact with potential delegates.
We have also provided bursaries, 2022 and 2025, to support early career individuals and companies to attend and understand the festival, to connect with and explore UK and international networking opportunities.
The brief – what you will need to do?
The following comprises our brief for the research to be undertaken to help inform and guide our funding at Showcase events into the future. The overall aim of the research is to provide an impact evaluation of the Edinburgh fund and Seeding for the Future bursaries to ascertain the benefits for those in receiving the awards and where our resources can make the most impact moving forward.
What you’ll do:
A mixed method approach of both qualitative and quantitative research -Working with our Internal Research and Evaluation and Business Services Teams who will provide access to funding data.
- Desktop based research
- Review of funding delivered since 2015 and its impact- survey with grant recipients
- Review of impact of Seeding for the Future on successful applicants and companies.
- The impact and success of Wales in Edinburgh programme.
- Stakeholder Interviews: Undertake stakeholder interviews/focus groups with recipients of funding to ascertain the benefit to their organisation both in terms of actual bookings and future relationships and career trajectory. Providing a more in-depth insight alongside the desktop survey. What worked / what impact has been achieved? What could have been done differently? What were the reasons artists felt future opportunities were successful or unsuccessful? What future support might be required to make the most of opportunities arising?
Some of these benefits may be indirect and long term - but it is useful to see both actual and indirect benefits.
- Provide analysis of potential future events worth of support for artists outside of Edinburgh Fringe
This should be presented as a report showing the impact of Edinburgh Funding and recommendations of the most appropriate support moving forward.
Contract value £12,000 including VAT (this would include a small renumeration to artists invited to be in focus groups (if not working for an Arts Council Multi Year Funded organisation).
Timeframe and presentation of results
- Your research must be undertaken in 2025
- You must deliver the results in the form of one written report by the 6 October 2025
Please apply by expression of interest to:
Peter.Gregory@arts.wales by 17 June 2025, by providing a letter and CV. Please confirm your VAT status in your written submission.
Please give a proposal as to what you can deliver for the £12,000 budget.
Submitting your proposal
We welcome responses through the medium of Welsh, English or bi-lingually, there will be no differential treatment to bids received in either language.
Additional Information
Seeding for the Future and Edinburgh Bursaries is a development programme for emerging and established artists and producers who have not yet taken work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Seeding for the Future programme can provide networking support alongside an opportunity to see high quality work and a tool kit of considerations when taking work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 2022, 20 individuals were supported to attend.
Wales in Edinburgh support: 76 awards have been made since 2013