Earlier this year ITC wrote to ACE to express concerns about leaked plans to change ACE Project funding in very unhelpful ways. ACE put these plans on hold, planning to revisit them in September after consultation with the sector. That consultation has not had a very high profile and we are obviously concerned to see what changes will be proposed in September. In the meantime, though, the Grantium system has crashed leaving some funding bids stuck in the system and all new applications frozen out. Many ITC members have contacted us, dismayed at the chaos so we have written to ACE again. This is what we said: 

Recently, we have had many calls from ITC members expressing their concerns about the collapse of the Grantium system and the fact that the issue is still not resolved. 

We have, for a long time, expressed concerns to ACE about the project funding system. Members complain regularly about the clunky nature of Grantium, the unhelpful replies they receive from ACE, the lack of feedback and the fact that your rolling programme means that applications are mostly turned down because there was ‘not enough money in the particular pot they applied to’ and ‘other bids were stronger’. The system is not fit for purpose and now it is broken all together. 

We are concerned that ACE does not take its role as the main funder for the arts seriously enough. Project funding is not prioritised, and it is extremely important, particularly to the majority of the sector who are not core-funded.  

At ITC we are aware of the challenges faced by ACE in meeting demand with limited funds in the NLPF. We have felt for some time that the system is broken and needs reviewing. 

Only 25% of ITC’s 400 strong membership are NPOs. Most of our companies rely on the flexibility and responsiveness of NLPF. They have effective, but finely tuned business models that are sustained on juggling a wide range of projects with multiple funders, complex relationships and partnerships across the sector. It is an intricately balanced ecology. 

Project funds are vital for facilitating the creativity, resourcefulness, and ingenuity of this dynamic sector. This year has been particularly challenging for small to midscale performing arts organisations. More project bids have been turned down than we have ever witnessed before. Applicants do not receive helpful feedback and are expected to resubmit, only to be turned down again. Touring grants are being turned down for work that is excellent and in high demand from venues who are desperate to programme the work. 

The system needs reform but creating more administrative restrictions will be counterproductive and make the system inaccessible to the very individuals and companies that need to be encouraged and supported. Limiting the number of bids and forcing organisations to complete and report on a project before initiating a new project would be disastrous. If an organisation has no core funding, they cannot survive project to project unless they have many ideas in the pipeline. Ideally there needs to be more money available for projects. You cannot grow a vibrant arts ecology on crumbs from the table. 

It is vital that ACE make solving the Grantium issue a priority. Important projects are being lost, artists’ livelihoods are at stake and morale in the sector is being severely impacted. We believe that the Let’s Create Strategy relies heavily on a successful, responsive project funding system. Project funding supports the innovation and dynamism of the arts. For too long, it has been under-resourced, strategically overlooked and administratively dysfunctional.