Referral of the proposed Extension Awards over £1 million subsidy scheme by Arts Council England
The Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) has accepted a request for a report providing advice to Arts Council England (ACE) concerning its proposed Extension Awards over £1million subsidy scheme.
Administrative timetable
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 20 December 2024 | SAU’s report to be published |
| 22 November 2024 | Deadline for receipt of any third-party submissions |
| 8 November 2024 | Beginning of reporting period |
Request from Arts Council England
8 November 2024: The SAU has accepted a request for a report from Arts Council England concerning the proposed Extension Awards over £1 million subsidy scheme (the Scheme). This request relates to a Subsidy Scheme of Particular Interest.
The SAU will prepare a report, which will provide an evaluation of Arts Council England’s assessment of whether the Scheme complies with the subsidy control requirements (Assessment of Compliance). The SAU will complete its report within 30 working days.
Information about the scheme provided by Arts Council England
Arts Council England intends to provide extensions to existing funding agreements covering the period 2023 to 2026. The Scheme and associated awards will provide sustained support for the sector to deliver the aims of Arts Council England’s ten-year strategy, Let’s Create, and aid stabilisation ahead of the next Investment Programme process.
This Scheme supports extension awards to organisations in receipt of over £1 million grants. This Scheme is considered a Subsidy Scheme of Particular Interest as it will provide for the awarding of grants with a potential to be in excess of £10 million per enterprise.
The funding programmes and awards currently funded over the 2023 to 2026 period will go through an extension process:
- National Portfolio Organisations
- Investment Principles Support Organisations
- Organisations funded outside of the portfolio
All of these grants and grant programmes award funding for activity plan delivery. The activity plans specifically contribute to Arts Council England’s strategy, Let’s Create.
Beneficiaries in receipt of funding from the above will be eligible to apply for an extension award. That involves each beneficiary submitting an application or providing certain documentation before Arts Council England will make a decision to release an award.
This proposed Scheme will contribute to the following equity rationales identified as part of the public policy objective:
- facilitating the broader provision of arts and culture to the public across England
- the continuation and expansion of arts and culture activities which will be free of charge or at affordable prices that would not otherwise be possible given the high costs faced in providing such productions and provisions, and the proportionate lack of income generated
- improved access to workforce opportunities in the arts and culture sector
Information for third parties
If you wish to comment on matters relevant to the SAU’s evaluation of the Assessment of Compliance concerning the Extension Awards over £1 million subsidy scheme, please send your comments before 5pm on the date stipulated in the timetable above.
For guidance on representations relevant to the Assessment of Compliance, see the section on reporting period and transparency in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit..
Please send your submissions to us at sau-aceextensionawards2024@cma.gov.uk, copying the public authority: subsidy.control@artscouncil.org.uk. Please also provide a contact address and explain in what capacity you are making the submission (for example, as an individual or a representative of a business or organisation).
Notes to third parties wishing to make a submission
The SAU will only take your submission into account if it can be shared with Arts Council England. The SAU will send a copy of your submission to Arts Council England together with its report. This is to allow the public authority to take account of the submission in its decision as to whether to make or modify the scheme or its assessment. We therefore ask that you provide express consent for your full and unredacted submission to be shared. We also encourage you to share your submission directly with Arts Council England using the email address provided above.
The SAU may use the information you provide in its published report. Therefore, you should indicate in your submission whether any specified parts of it are commercially confidential. If the SAU wishes to refer in its published report to material identified as confidential, it will contact you in advance.
For further details on confidentiality of third party submissions, see identifying confidential information in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit..
Contacts
- SAU project team: sau-aceextensionawards2024@cma.gov.uk
- CMA press team: 020 3738 6460 or press@cma.gov.uk