Enquiries

Throughout 2022 2024, Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy ran a series of enquiries in relation to challenging areas of arts, culture and heritage fundraising, with a view to informing future policy and research. Each enquiry was made up of eight fundraisers working in arts, culture and heritage organisations.

Find out more about our three most recent reports below.

1. Diverse and Inclusive Governance

With nearly 170,000 registered charities in the UK, and a further 20,000 organisations with charitable status, Trustees play a crucial role in ensuring that the organisations that they govern operate effectively, ethically, and in the best interests of the beneficiaries and the broader communities that they serve. The commitment and dedication of volunteer Trustees is essential to the impactful and sustainable functioning of the charitable sector.

This enquiry assesses the current governance landscape and context before offering recommendations for best practice and development in this area.

2. Ethical Fundraising

Ethics is an ever-present conversation in our sector and, because art deals so often with ethical values, there is a demand to ensure that the money that funds cultural work is ‘clean’. However, arts organisations can be so terrified to be seen as ‘getting it wrong’ that ethical issues are often swept under the carpet.

In 2022, Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy set up a new enquiry to focus on this complex issue. The suggestions and recommendations laid out in the enquiry were developed by a team of eight arts fundraisers to support the cultural sector in navigating ethical fundraising.

3. Cost of Living Crisis

The arts, culture and heritage sector has faced a series of crises in recent years, first Covid-19 and now an even more uncertain future due to the cost of living. As a result, arts and cultural organisations of all sizes have had to think laterally about both costs and income.

In 2023, Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy established an enquiry to focus on this complex issue, led by eight arts fundraisers. The report, which can be downloaded below, intends to provide support, reflections and suggestions to the cultural sector in navigating the cost of living crisis.

Inclusive and Diverse Governance Report Ethical Fundraising report Cost of Living report
What people say

“Participation in the Ethics Enquiry was an enjoyable and thought-provoking process that allowed me to connect with a range of colleagues around the country who I might not otherwise have met. The Cause4 team are ever supportive and helpful and I felt we came up with a series of recommendations on our topic which could help move the dial in our profession.”

Nick Jackman, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Sign up to our mailing list

Join our mailing list to hear about future opportunities to apply to join a future Enquiries cohort.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Consent*
A woman is sat on grass while a man is sat on the stairs in front of a Romani encampment old-school caravan.
The Munnings Art Museum – 2021 Paint Up Romani Encampment