Achates Philanthropy Prize launches bursaries for arts organisations
Melanie May | 20 August 2019 | News
The Achates Pilanthropy Prize has launched its first bursaries, offering five UK arts organisations a bespoke masterclass to support the development of their fundraising.
The bursaries are offered by the newly-established Achates Philanthropy Prize Ambassadors, which are a group of experienced arts professionals. The Achates Philanthropy Prize Bursaries is the first in a series of national initiatives that will be launched and led by the Ambassadors, supported by the Trustees of the Achates Philanthropy Foundation and the Directors of Achates Philanthropy Ltd.
The Ambassadors will offer five organisations a bespoke day-long masterclass on cultural sector fundraising, tailored to their specific needs in infrastructure and skills development.
The Bursaries will be awarded to organisations that have not been selected for the 2019 Achates Philanthropy Prize shortlists but have shown considerable potential in their audience strategy and fundraising activity. In addition, the Ambassadors will produce an accompanying report that will inform the future development of the Prize through its findings.
A representative from the Ambassadors will be appointed to the Board of the Achates Philanthropy Foundation later this year.
Achates Philanthropy Foundation Chair, Caroline McCormick, said:
“Since launching the Achates Philanthropy Prize four years ago, it’s been invigorating to discover so many colleagues in the sector who feel as passionately as we – the Trustees of the Achates Philanthropy Foundation – do about the need for a seismic shift in approaches to fundraising. By supporting this first national initiative of the Prize Ambassadors, the Trustees of the Foundation and the Directors of Achates Philanthropy Ltd. are investing in a community of people who believe passionately in the need for a resilient, robust and future-proof arts ecology. We look forward to shaping the future of the Prize together with them.”
One of the Ambassadors, and a previous winner of the Prize, Annemarie Shillito said:
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“The Plough Arts Centre, based in rural northern Devon, has been shortlisted three times for the Achates Philanthropy Prize and won the Individual Philanthropy Award in 2017. This was a huge boost for us and enabled a whole new tranche of individual bursaries for children in hardship. I now feel honoured to be joining the Ambassadors team, introducing new organisations to the possibilities the Prize presents.
“We will be working regionally and offering our individual support to organisations applying and are happy to talk through the process, which is very easy and based on telling the story of a first-time cultural supporter. The Ambassadors will also lead on tailored fundraising masterclasses for those who don’t quite make the shortlist. This is such an inclusive, win-win process, which I know will lead to benefits for a much wider group than ever before.”
The winners of the inaugural Bursaries will be announced alongside the winners of this year’s Achates Philanthropy Prize at an event at Rich Mix on Tuesday 19 November 2019. The call for entries for the Prize is open until 16 September.
Main image: Anne Marie Shillito (third on right) with 2017’s winning philanthropists, Claire and Ray Gard, as well as Prize judges and sponsors. Achates Philanthropy Foundation Chair, Caroline McCormick, is second on the right. Credit: Michal Polak.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.