Something Brilliant Has Happened... (NPO Statement)
Updated: Jan 29
We are so pleased to announce that we have been successful in our application to become a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO). This means we’ll receive financial investment from Arts Council England for three years, from April 2023 - March 2026.
Since ARCADE started we’ve been project funded, which can make planning tricky, but in the space of two years have reached 9393 audiences & participants; employed over 100 freelance artists & supported 600+ artists, created 11 new commissions including visual art & performance; digital art & webcasts.
Becoming an NPO recognises our work and the impact of our creative programmes with young people, families, communities and artists in Scarborough & Bridlington. It means we can stabilise and plan with certainty for the future, whilst beginning to think long term with our partners.
It is important that we take this moment to celebrate our achievement alongside our community and our team and we want to thank the many people and organisations who have supported us since we began.
We are also thinking about our peers and colleagues across the sector who were not successful in their NPO application despite the incredible work that they have done and will continue to do.
Over the coming months we’ll get ready to launch our NPO programme which will include; Adventures in Learning in Bridlington and Scarborough schools with KIT Theatre and East Riding of Yorkshire Council; our annual co-created Christmas experience, Grue, with international artist Wintercroft; continue creative youth companies in Scarborough and Bridlington; a community, co-created site specific audio trail for South Cliff Gardens celebrating love stories with Scarborough Spa Orchestra and Orchestras Live; and we’ll continue to support local artists by running Scarborough Creatives and Bridlington Creatives as well as fundraising surgeries. We will work across the north in places like Tees Valley, Tadcaster and Hull to support work and collaborate with communities, as well as continuing to develop our amazing young team.
In some ways, becoming an NPO is a new beginning for us, but our mission and values remain the same. We will continue to place people at the heart of all we do, involving communities through participation and co-creation. We will empower residents, pairing them with incredible artists to make work that is important and meaningful to them.
We are so excited to get going - making brilliant things happen, together.
If you’d like to keep up to date with ARCADE news and events you can sign up to our mailing list here https://www.hello-arcade.com/, or come along and say hi to us at Grue this Christmas - book your Pay What You Can ticket here - https://www.hello-arcade.com/grue-2022