Music education spared big cuts in ACE funding announcement

Arts Council England has announced which organisations will join its national portfolio and receive a share of its £446 million funding. 

There has been a 20 per cent increase in the number of organisations receiving funding that deliver creative activities to children when compared to the previous round of funding. 

Overall, 276 of the 990 companies are receiving funding for the first time since before 2018 - an increase from 183 new companies in the last funding round. 

In response to receiving new NPO funding, chief executive Sophie Lewis and artistic and educational director Catherine Arlidge from the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain said: ‘On behalf of everyone involved in NCO, we are delighted to receive this new funding from the Arts Council of England at this critical time for music education and children. 

‘It comes with responsibility that we will embrace, ensuring that children remain at the centre of everything we do and working to widen participation in our programme through partnership and collaboration with colleagues in the sector. We are ambitious for our organisation and young people and look forward to cementing the difference that we can make.’

Music education charity Sound Connections is to receive new funding; a spokesperson from the group says: ‘this means we can deepen our engagement with young people in London and work across England’. 

There has also been an increase in the amount of funding at a number of selected music education organisations, including at The National Youth Jazz Collective, Drake Music and the National Youth Orchestra. 

IPSO funding

The funding for the Investment Principles Support Organisation (IPSO) programme has also been announced - a scheme that funds creative organisations as part of ACE’s ‘Let’s Create’ campaign to provide high-quality cultural experiences across the UK, including in education. Black Lives in Music and Music Mark have been announced as IPSOs as part of the ‘Let’s Create’ campaign.

On the new funding announcement Music Mark CEO, Bridget Whyte, says: ‘We are thrilled to have this commitment from ACE, and believe it signifies not only that the work of Music Mark is valued, but also that of music education as a whole. 

‘This three-year commitment, we believe, is in recognition of the advice and support we’ve given to colleagues over the past few years, especially during the pandemic, and our valued advisory relationship with ACE and the Department for Education.’ 

Backlash

The Musicians Union (MU) has heavily criticised the decision by Arts Council England to make major cuts in public funding to a selection of arts organisations. The English National Opera is one of the most high-profile cases - it has had its NPO funding cut and been offered £17 million to relocate to Manchester. 

The MU’s general secretary, Naomi Pohl, says: ‘Arts organisations have been trying to deliver their best work despite diminishing funding over the past decade. This latest news about ENO is a sad indictment of the current government's apparent disinterest in supporting the UK's arts infrastructure as a whole. 

'Compared to government spending in other areas of the economy, and what they invested in maintaining companies during the pandemic, the money received by organisations like ENO is tiny. The government needs to give the arts overall an urgent and long overdue cash injection.’

The MU has said it is going to undertake immediate discussions with the affected companies to work out the best plan moving forward. 

Spreading funding across the country

141 organisations have been dropped out of the portfolio, as ACE shifts towards funding non-London based organisations. 39.5% of funding was given to organisations in London in the previous round, and that has now dropped to 33.3%. 

ACE is also encouraging organisations it funds to relocate away from London as part of its Transfer Programme. 

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has shunned the funding decisions from ACE saying: ‘Many of our world-leading cultural organisations will be left devastated by this announcement of over £50 million worth of government cuts to London’s arts funding. 

‘These cuts could not have come at a worse time as arts organisations already face a triple whammy of spiralling operating costs, soaring energy bills, and the impact of both the pandemic and the cost of living crisis on audience figures.’

For further information visit the Arts Council England.