Arts Council England (ACE) has postponed its Investment Programme announcement, which should have taken place today (Wednesday).
The 2023-26 programme was supposed to be a big moment for a number of arts organisations, with ACE originally suggesting that it would try to move funds away from London.
Initial reports in February suggested that there could be roughly 80 new national portfolio organisations (NPOs), on top of the 828 NPOs that already receive ACE funding. Roughly 100 will reportedly receive increased funding and it has not yet been stated how many organisations could lose their NPO status.
In a statement, ACE said the announcement of the organisations joining its 2023-26 Investment Programme was delayed following discussions with the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Arts Council England chief executive Darren Henley said: “We feel for everyone awaiting the outcome of their funding application. We recognise the importance of giving organisations certainty to enable business planning and we know a delay will cause some disruption.
“We thank everyone for their patience. We are working with DCMS to reschedule this announcement as soon as possible.”
Organisations applying for the 2023-26 Investment Programme submitted applications in three strands: NPOs, Investment Principles Support Organisations (IPSOs) and Transfer Programme organisations.
ACE recently launched a consultative survey with venues to develop plans to create a UK-wide access scheme that will make attending creative and cultural events easier for D/deaf and neurodivergent people.