Arts charities' match funding campaign gets underway

Match fundraising platform Big Give’s Arts for Impact campaign launches today.

It runs until 25 March and aims to raise £2.5m for the 285 arts charities taking part. This is around 50 more charities than took part last year.

During the week of Arts for Impact campaigning public donations will be matched by Big Give’s philanthropic partners. They have committed £1.2m in funding to the campaign.

Among charities taking part is the National Youth Theatre. Its alumni includes the actor Daniel Craig, who said: “National Youth Theatre believed in who I was and who I could be.

“It is why I still believe in the National Youth Theatre and all the aspirational opportunities it brings to future generations. It is a badge of honour and one I still wear with pride today.”



This is the second year the fundraiser, which has been launched in partnership with Figurative Philanthropy for Arts & Culture (FPAC), is being run.

Last year’s inaugural campaign raised £2.85m for 238 charities that took part and drew 12,386 public donations.

Big Give chair James Reed said: “There are over 30,000 registered charities working in the arts, culture and heritage space, and for many of them funds raised in this campaign could make the difference between being able to continue with vital work or having to abandon it.

“We have been contacted by many charities we work with and they are facing really tough financial decisions.

“This means that the campaign is even more important this year than ever before. The work of the charities taking part is crucial to our culture and society, and we know access to arts and heritage not only broadens horizons but is hugely beneficial to mental health."



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