# Digital accelerator programme for cultural organisations opens to UK nonprofits

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/01/17/digital-accelerator-programme-for-cultural-organisations-opens-to-uk-nonprofits/
- Published: 2024-01-17T09:00:00+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Nonprofit cultural organisations in UK, as well as the US, can apply to join the
Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Program, with a March deadline.**

The initiative, which has recently been expanded, helps cultural organisations strengthen
their technology and management practices to help them improve operations, generate
revenue, fundraise, engage broader audiences, and expand programming.

Nonprofit cultural organisations with annual budgets of £500,000 or more that have
been in operation for at least three years can apply [here](https://digitalaccelerator.bloomberg.org/apply)
with a deadline of 13 March, and up to 50 organisations will be accepted.

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Patricia E. Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies said: 

> “We launched the Digital Accelerator Program to help cultural groups use technology
> better, and over the past two years, the positive, sustainable impact we’ve made
> has been really encouraging. Participants in the programme are successfully increasing
> their audiences and revenues, so now we’re expanding it – and meeting the growing
> demand from arts organisations seeking to strengthen their operations, reach new
> customers, and keep them coming back.”

Launched in July 2021 as an invitation-only pilot programme, the Digital Accelerator
Program has helped nearly 150 arts organisations in the US and UK to date.

It provides support for projects in four categories: 

 * Content Creation and Distribution
 * Customer Relationship Management (CRM)/Ticketing
 * Digital Archives/Data Management
 * Websites

According to Bloomberg Philanthropies**, **the 40 institutions that were part of
the first cohort, and completed the programme last summer, have collectively raised
an additional $20 million in new revenue, reached over 1 million new audience members,
and engaged more than 4,000 new artists and partners.

In the UK this includes:

 * [Serpentine](https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/) implemented a new ticketing
   system to deepen visitor relationships and optimise audience journeys. The system
   has reduced no-shows to ticketed events by 35% due to a reminder email strategy
   and saw nearly 6,000 new online donations made through ticket add-ons.
 * [Unicorn Theatre ](https://unicorntheatre.org/)has achieved over 100,000 views
   for its Unicorn Online children’s programming, with 37% of the views coming from
   outside of London through new relationships with partner theatres across the 
   country. It has also generated £50,000 in digital licensing income for artists
   and the theatre through deals with UK, US, and Canadian organisations.

Digital Accelerator Program participants work with technology experts who provide
individual strategic assessment and implementation support. In the UK, these services
are provided by Arts Council England and its Digital Culture Network, and in the
US, by the Lapine Group.

Selected organisations for the latest round of the Digital Accelerator Programme
will be announced in the spring of 2024.

 * **[Call for electronic information for charity fundraisers](https://fundraising.co.uk/1993/10/23/call-electronic-information-charity-fundraisers/)**(
   23 October 1993)
 * **[Michael Johnston writes on Fundraising on the Internet](https://fundraising.co.uk/1995/09/02/michael-johnston-writes-fundraising-internet/)**(
   2 September 1995)
 * **[Affinity deal for charities from ISP UK Online](https://fundraising.co.uk/1996/04/08/affinity-deal-charities-isp-uk-online/)**(
   8 April 1996)