Match funding platform Big Give’s inaugural arts fundraiser gets underway this week with 239 charities set to benefit.

The music, dance, visual arts, museums, and literature charities have been allocated up to £1.25m in match funding through the campaign through Big Give’s donors including The Reed Foundation, Arts Council England and West Midlands Combined Authority.

This will be used to match donors made by the public to the charities involved in the campaign which started at midday 19 March and finishes at midday 26 March.

Charities involved include the London based Nucleo Project, which runs a free musical instrument learning programme for children and young people. The charity needs funding as it has 443 young people enrolled and a waiting list of more than 300.

“Our challenge is that to grow sustainably: we need to be able to raise more not just on a one-off basis, but on an ongoing basis to sustain new sites once they are developed,” said the Nucleo Project.

“Becoming a musician doesn’t happen after a taster session, or a weekend event, or six months of classes. It happens over a period of years, and when young people are committed to learning and practising, we, too are committed to sustaining the learning opportunity.”



“Arts charities play a central and crucial role in the lives of the people they support, and their time and services are being called upon now more than ever,” said Big Give chair James Reed.

“They have endured many cuts and disappointments, so securing funding for the charities from our match funders and the public is especially important. I am pleased that today is the start of our financial fight back, and I hope the campaign is widely and generously supported.”

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