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ACE National Portfolio 2023-26: Decision day

With less than a week to go until the details of the new National Portfolio are announced, Arts Professional looks at what organisations can expect on the day and what they need to do next.

Neil Puffett
5 min read

As the announcement of Arts Council England's (ACE) investment plans for the next three years fast approaches, tension among arts and culture organisations across England is undoubtedly rising as they anticipate the outcomes with a mixture of trepidation and hope.

With ACE having made clear that, due to record demand, many worthy applications will miss out, the way decision day pans out will vary greatly for organisations depending on whether they get the funding nod or not. 

So how can they expect next Wednesday to proceed, and what do they need to do next?

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The announcement is scheduled for 11am on Wednesday 26 October, with details being made public during a live-streamed press conference in Bradford by ACE's Chair Sir Nicholas Serota and Chief Executive Darren Henley – but applicants will know their outcomes at least 30 minutes before then.

They will receive an email notification on the day telling them what time they can log into the Grantium application portal to access the decision. They have been advised to have login details ready, but not to log in to Grantium until they receive the notification email.
  
From 11am, ACE will publish the offers it has made on its website with names of all organisations securing investment and how much they are set to receive.
 
Those offered funding will receive a second email from ACE later in the morning, with information on how they can "join in sharing the news".
 
Details of organisations not offered funding will not be published. 

Applicants offered funding

For those that are offered funding, the deal is not done until agreement, subject to negotiation, is reached with ACE. Internal discussions will take place almost immediately over the amount proposed and the conditions attached.

ACE suggests organisations should arrange for senior leaders to meet to discuss the conditional offer as early as 10.30am on decision day.

It is mindful that the economic circumstances have worsened significantly since the application deadline on 15 May, more than five months ago.

"We understand that since you wrote your application earlier this year, your organisation, like many other individuals and businesses in this country, is facing very significant economic challenges," ACE says. 

"We know that this means that you will probably have to revise the activity plans that you submitted with your application. We will take that into account as we negotiate your funding agreement with you."

Negotiations need to be completed by February next year, with the finalised agreements making up the 2023-26 Investment Programme coming into effect from 1 April 2023.

The situation will be similar for organisations offered conditional funding as part of ACE's Transfer Programme – designed to provide two-years funding to existing London-based NPOs willing to relocate outside the capital. 

But as soon as agreement is reached with ACE on the conditions of their funding, they will likely have to start a fresh application process for money to allow them to work through the practicalities of a move.

ACE says it intends to publish full supporting guidance on Feasibility funds – which will be subject to additional monitoring and reporting requirements – by March 2023, with applications to these funds opening from April 2023.

Organisations that successfully relocate by October 2024 will then be able to apply for further funding for 2025/26 though what ACE describes as a "non-competitive" process.

Unsuccessful applicants

For organisations that don't receive an offer of funding, attention will immediately turn to options going forward.

In light of ACE receiving more than 1,700 applications to the 2023-26 portfolio, requesting a total of more than £2bn over the three-year period – more than double the existing number of 828 NPOs it funds at the moment – many organisations will face disappointment come Wednesday.

For those that are currently part of the National Portfolio, a substantial chunk of their funding will be lost when the current programme ends on 31 March.

They will be faced with the stark options of finding new sources of income, scaling back their output, or closing down altogether.

ACE has established a Transition Programme to allow unsuccessful NPOs, or organisations funded outside the National Portfolio through Business Plan funding, additional time to make a decision.

The fund will provide up to three months' of additional funding for NPOs that don't receive an offer – covering them until 30 June 2023.

For NPOs that receive a conditional offer of funding from ACE later this month, but are then unable to reach agreement on the final terms of the grant, up to six months’ funding will be available covering them until 30 September 2023.

In a message emailed to applicants earlier this week, Chief Executive of ACE Darren Henley said: "We know this continues to be an anxious time, and I want to thank you for your continued patience as we make our final decisions.  
 
"I want to assure you that no matter your decision, the Arts Council will continue to be there, listening to what you need and doing our best to champion your ambition."