Young people working on graffitti

A graffiti activity as part of Arts & Health South West's Reach In and Reach Out

News

Former NPO announces closure following funding loss

Creative health charity Arts & Health South West said that despite turning to alternative funding models after losing its National Portfolio status last year, it hasn't been possible to secure its financial future.

Mary Stone
2 min read

Arts & Health South West (AHSW), a creative health learning, advocacy, networking and development organisation, will close on 31 March after 18 years.

Previously part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio for eight years until last March, the charity said it made the “difficult decision” to begin planning for the organisation's closure in January. It noted that since its unsuccessful application to the portfolio in 2022, it has been in a "transition phase”. 

“We have implemented alternative funding models, but it hasn’t been possible to secure our financial future within the timescale,” a statement issued by the organisation said.

READ MORE:

“We are very sad but also focused on making this a good ending and celebrating all that AHSW has achieved.”

It added that there was “an urgent need to find ways for creative health to be sustainable in the current challenging financial and social context”. 

Speaking about the closure and legacy, Director Alex Coulter said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved since Arts & Health South West was set up 18 years ago.

"Not only have we helped to create a strong network of arts and health practitioners across the region, but we’ve also worked nationally to set up two important organisations. I’m sad that the organisation is closing at this challenging time financially, but I’m optimistic that the work we have done will lead to great things in the field.”

In November, Arts Professional reported that more than a dozen organisations that failed to secure NPO funding from ACE for the 2023-26 investment period, announced in November 2022, had either closed or announced plans to close. Other organisations that lost their portfolio status have announced cutbacks and restructures.

A separate analysis by third-sector financial benchmarkers MyCake has shown that at least 47 arts and culture organisations that left the Arts Council England's (ACE) National Portfolio since 2011 have closed down in the last six years.