Arts Council England Investment Programme announcement delayed

Arts Council England (ACE) have today released a statement informing applicants that the announcement of the beneficiaries of the council’s Investment Programme 2023-26, originally scheduled to take place tomorrow, has been delayed.

The decision has been made following discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and an alternative announcement date has not yet been given, with the statement reading: ‘The announcement of the portfolio will instead be made as soon as possible within the coming days.’

ACE chief executive, Darren Henley said: ‘We recognise the importance of giving organisations certainty to enable business planning and we know a delay will cause some disruption. We thank everyone for their patience. We are working with DCMS to reschedule this announcement as soon as possible.’

The decision has sparked disappointment on social media, with members of the charity sector tweeting their concern that the information was given less than 24 hours before the announcement was due to take place. While the reason for the delay has not yet been made public it comes after a turbulent week in British politics, with the resignation of Liz Truss and the country’s shortest-serving prime minister to be replaced by former chancellor Rishi Sunak, who was officially given the position this morning.

Beneficiaries of the investment programme will receive regular funding from ACE between 2023-26. Organisations from across the country applied in May of this year for investment in three strands: National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs), Investment Principles Support Organisations (IPSOs) and Transfer Programme organisations. Once successful applicants are announced, investment is due to start from 1 April 2023.