The search for new funding and business models
There has been a lot of talk about the future of UK arts funding over the summer. Fran Sanderson has been assessing various fundin…
Arts Professional is working in partnership with Figurative (formerly Arts & Culture Finance) to present a series of articles and case studies demonstrating the impact repayable finance can make to the cultural and creative sector. We will showcase development projects that have been supported through impact investment and discuss the role investment has to play in arts funding.
Figurative is an independent not-for-profit specialising in impact, investment and innovation in the cultural and creative sector. It raises and manages investment funds and supports the development of new business, funding and impact models through tailored innovation and pilot programmes. Among other initiatives, it manages the Arts & Culture Impact Fund, an £18 million social impact investment fund for socially driven arts, culture and heritage organisations registered and operating in the UK. The fund offers loans between £150,000 and £1 million repayable until May 2031.
Figurative began life as Arts & Culture Finance, a division of Nesta, before merging with New Philanthropy for Arts & Culture and launching as an independent organisation in September 2024. It has been supported by key sector players including Arts Council England, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation, with impact investment leaders Better Society Capital among the investors in its funds.
There has been a lot of talk about the future of UK arts funding over the summer. Fran Sanderson has been assessing various fundin…
A pioneering educational programme for neurodivergent young people has been given a boost from social impact investment. Seva Phil…
Impact investment is an ideal partner for the arts sector where taking creative risks, experimentation and imagination are second…
Covid was a challenging time for live music. But that didn’t stop Future Yard, a new live music venue in Birkenhead, from op…
Two years on from the launch of an international initiative exploring the creative economy for sustainable development, Fran Sande…
Impact investments aim to support creative ambition and cultural projects to the benefit of society, but Seva Phillips is always a…