Funding crisis forces closure of arts for health agency

Arts for Health Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is to close after 14 years of operation following an assessment by its trustees that the organisation is not financially sustainable in the longer term.

The arts for health agency runs projects led by creative practitioners, supported by various public funders, trusts and foundations. Director Jayne Howard explained to AP: “It’s not that any specific funding stream has been withdrawn, but as public sector commissions are reduced due to funding cuts, and competition for funding through trusts and foundations has grown, it has become increasingly difficult to cover our annual £64,000 core running costs. Looking at the funding climate ahead, the trustees can’t see how this situation is going to get any better, and have, with deep regret, concluded that the organisation is no longer financially sustainable.” 

Led by Howard with Project Coordinator Maria DiCarlo, Arts for Health Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly was England’s first county-wide arts and health organisation. It has received a number of awards for its work, including the Arts and Health South West Health Award 2013 and the Guardian Public Services Award, 2009.

The team will be wrapping projects up over the next two months, handing over commitments that extend into next year as appropriate. Howard said: “When the organisation was formed there was very little arts for health work going on in Cornwall and we are proud of our achievements and the legacy we are leaving. We hope very much that other organisations will be in a position to take this work forward now.”