Nia-business Plan Final Colour

NECDAF Intercultural Arts Business Plan 2009-2014

Prepared by Ribble Consultants on behalf of NECDAF Intercultural Arts, Dance City, Temple Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4BR. e: [email protected] t: 0191 260 5440

2

Summary Welcome to the NECDAF Intercultural Arts five year plan. Our ambitious vision and objective is to establish NECDAF Intercultural Arts as the focus for the development of the expression of the art and cultures of minority ethnic communities in North East England, to maximise their impact on the economy, and contribute to the social cohesion of our region. We will; -

ensure that organisations and agencies with a regional remit understand the needs of intercultural arts practitioners and the importance of interculturalism to regional development;

-

make sure that minority ethnic artists receive appropriate recognition and support and that events and venues recognise the importance of Intercultural Arts and reflect it in their programming;

-

make sure that there is support available for minority ethnic artists and for innovative Intercultural Arts events across the region;

-

support the use of Intercultural Arts to facilitate understanding, build identities and break down barriers between cultures.

We have a 3 stage plan for growth over the next five years; 1. In the first year (2009/2010) we will consolidate our position as a strategic development organisation, acting as a signpost and source of practical support to artists; developing partnerships and projects as opportunities arise; 2. In the following two years (up to 2012) we will develop ourselves as a resource centre, with a comprehensive programme of activities and services to support individual artists. Our focus will be on promoting the sector and developing the professionalism of its members; 3. In the final two years of the plan (up to 2014) we will seek to become a buildingbased centre for Intercultural Arts, promoting intercultural understanding through the medium of arts. All of our activities require an appropriate financing plan. Our current development is linked to the amount of funding we can secure. Core funding from the Arts Council remains a vital part of the picture and if this does not continue after the end of the current RFO agreement then it will limit our ability to expand. Our future development is to be geared to generating more income earned from commercial activities e.g. providing diversity awareness services to public sector agencies and larger companies.

3

4

Contents Introduction..........

7

1.0

Our Vision and Objectives……….

8

2.0 2.1 2.2

Where We Are Now………. Necdaf Intercultural Arts………. The Minority Ethnic Arts Centre and its Needs……….

10 10 10

3.0

What we want to achieve in the next five years……….

16

4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3

Strategy………. Principals………. Stages of Growth………. Work Plan……….

17 17 17 18

5.0

Management and Organisation……….

24

6.0 6.1 6.2

Financial Projections………. Income and Expenditure………. Other Scenarios……….

25 25 26

7.0

Evaluation and Control……….

28

Annex A – Reducing Risk………. Annex B – Financial Projections……….

29 30

5

6

Introduction This is a business plan for NECDAF Intercultural Arts. The plan shows our ambitions and intentions for the next five years in the following ways: a.

Our vision and objectives;

b.

Our understanding of where we are now both in terms of our achievements to date, and in terms of how the needs of the sector are changing;

c.

What we want to achieve over the next five years and how we will know we have got there;

d.

Our Strategy to achieve these aims;

e.

How we approach issues of management and organisation including staffing;

f.

Outline financial projections showing how we will fund our ambitions;

g.

How we approach evaluation and control.

As annexes we present: a.

An analysis of risk showing how we would continue to operate if there is a serious shortfall in funding;

b.

Detailed financial projections.

7

1.0

Our Vision and Objectives

Our vision for Intercultural Arts is that: -

The concept of Intercultural Arts will be recognised, including its contribution to the economy of North East England;

-

The arts will be used to facilitate understanding, build identities and break down barriers between cultures;

-

The creativity and professionalism of artists will be increased and improvements to the quality of their work will be supported;

-

There will be an effective voice for minority ethnic artists in the region which will promote diversity, equality and justice and bring about change in the arts and cultural sector;

-

North East England will be a location which supports the development of intercultural artists.

NECDAF Intercultural Arts has a strategic role which means that: -

We seek to identify gaps in the overall level of support and infrastructural landscape and to find ways of addressing these, performing appropriate research as background to its activities;

-

We seek to influence other organisations and to mobilise resources from other sources in order to support Intercultural Arts and minority ethnic artists;

-

We work with and support both strategic and delivery organisations and agencies to develop their own remits to promote diversity;

-

We seek to build and widen the audience for Intercultural Arts generally across the region;

-

We organise activities across the whole of North East England and preferably those with a region wide impact;

-

We seek to deliver projects which have a wide impact and do not duplicate those which could be organised by individual artists or local organisations.

In fulfilling this role, we need to operate in the following areas: a.

8

Advocacy for the sector, ensuring that key organisations understand the sector’s needs and importance, and that they give it appropriate promotion and support;

b.

Promotion of the sector and its values, making sure that minority ethnic artists are given appropriate recognition and that venues recognise the importance of Intercultural Arts and the way in which minority ethnic artists support this;

c.

Capacity building for the sector, making sure that there is support available to minority ethnic artists and innovative Intercultural Arts events across the region;

d.

Education, supporting the use of Intercultural Arts to facilitate understanding, build identities and break down barriers between cultures.

In order to operate effectively, we also need: e.

Appropriate mechanisms for identifying and engaging with minority ethnic artists across the region. We need to analyse their needs and the ways of addressing these needs. We aim to generate credibility and buy-in from the sector;

f.

Research into the sector in order to provide evidence to support our proposed lobbying and other activities for its development;

g.

The development of sustainable core capacity in terms of finance, physical resources and personnel.

9

2.0

Where We Are Now

2.1

NECDAF Intercultural Arts

NECDAF Intercultural Arts was set up in 2004 to provide practical services to the cultural, arts and community organisations serving minority ethnic communities in North East England. We employ a Director and Project Coordinator and work closely with the Arts Council England North East, other funders, voluntary and public sector agencies to develop a sustainable infrastructure for diverse arts in North East England. There has been a generally held misconception amongst our target audience that NECDAF Intercultural Arts was created “from the top down” by the Arts Council in order to meet their strategic need, rather than as a result of analysis of the needs of the sector and a vision for how development will be achieved. This reinforces our view of the need to actively engage with minority ethnic artists to listen to their concerns and present our services and activities. NECDAF Intercultural Arts is established as a Regularly Funded Organisation (RFO) of the Arts Council with a contribution to our core costs guaranteed until 2010/2011. NECDAF Intercultural Arts plans to build on the networks and relationships that it has established in the last five years. However, this does not mean that all structures and functions will necessarily continue as before; the business plan charts a process of development which will cause the organisation to adapt to the changing needs of the sector it serves and the stakeholders involved. 2.2

The Minority Ethnic Arts Sector and Its Needs

2.2.1 The Sector as a Whole The current minority ethnic arts sector in North East England is small but growing steadily. It supports a limited number of organisations related to particular cultures which are of a size that allows them to have their own voice, but there is a greater need for a voice for Intercultural Arts in North East England than some other regions of the country because of the comparatively small proportion of minority ethnic people living in the region (2.5% against a national average of 7.9%1). The sector itself is itself fragmented because: -

The different ethnic groups do not necessarily recognise a common cause and naturally concentrate on promoting their own culture or careers rather than Interculturalism;

-

The distribution of different cultures in North East England has changed in recent years, in particular through incoming asylum seekers and refugees and by people

1

ONS: 2003 census data

10

from the European Union’s new member states. Many, though not all of these new groups do not link to existing organisations and structures, and include artists whose presence is entirely unknown to support organisations. Organisations outside the arts sector often have a poor understanding of the sector and the impact it can bring to objectives in other sectors. For example: -

There is poor understanding of the influence of arts on the economy, and the opportunities presented by artists from the region;

-

The role of arts in education, training, and therapy is poorly explored and is often perceived as “ticking boxes” rather than a mainstream activity.

2.2.2 Promotion of the sector Almost all minority ethnic artists who were consulted in focus groups for this plan saw advertising and promotion as a key barrier (second only to finance) to professional development. This relates to the following factors: -

visibility (people forget about local minority ethnic artists very quickly and there isn’t a critical mass of activity to bring the sector back to their attention);

-

reluctance of venues to engage minority ethnic artists, for a number of reasons: -

perceived and actual risk of failed events in terms of lack of audience or profitability. There is a shortage of smaller venues with the necessary profile and cultural awareness to programme minority ethnic arts successfully;

-

lack of knowledge of the range and quality of minority ethnic artists in our region;

-

lack of professionalism by artists in presenting themselves: expertise in PR, knowledge of how to network etc, this can lead venues to assume that the quality of the work will be similarly lacking in professionalism;

-

the fact that venues are linked to a series of touring artists/ events and therefore local artists are ignored;

-

audience development:audiences are relatively conservative, the sector lacks the resources to invest in introducing audiences to arts activities that are unfamiliar to them;

-

diversity of audiences: there tend to be minority ethnic audiences for minority ethnic artists which limits the size and penetration;

-

actual funding for promotion.

11

In terms of approaches for reducing the risk to venues and therefore promoting local artists, areas which may be of assistance are: -

advice on audience development/diversity (audits, strategy etc);

-

promotion of local artists alongside nationally established ones or in order to create diversity within the programme (although we need to avoid the danger of tokenism here);

-

promotion of local artists in other parts of the country where there are larger minority ethnic communities/more diverse audiences;

-

show-casing (though many people have considerable scepticism about this approach).

Promotion is important and NECDAF Intercultural Arts needs to be proactive: i.e. more than just a provider of information, even if this is how we start. 2.2.3 Capacity of the Sector There is a wide range of different needs, though many artists need basic material support. Capacity-building can be at a range of different levels: -

Material support to allow the artist to develop themselves: basic materials, space for experimentation, ability to take time off from earning money;

-

Development of artistic talent: mentoring with successful artists, actual training;

-

Development of skills related to being a professional artist: how to promote themselves/PR, art as a business etc;

-

Approach to intercultural issues: how to promote yourself as an artist from a minority culture to audiences outside your own culture.

If we consider the broad range of people that NECDAF Intercultural Arts might support, capacity building can also encompass those who are not likely to be mainstream artists but have a role in developing Interculturalism. Promoting Interculturalism is a talent in itself and is not necessarily related to the quality of the art involved. Asylum seekers and refugees represent an opportunity for NECDAF Intercultural Arts to assist already skilled artists who do not fit into the prevailing culture and who do not understand how to deal with existing institutions. We will work closely with refugee and asylum seeker support organisations to have an effective way of recognising professional refugee or asylum seeker artists and their needs, which may be different from those of established local artists.

12

Part of the role of capacity building is that of being a resource centre, retaining information on artists themselves, venues, events/festivals, opportunities for support/training, funding, identity of support professionals. Artists need personal development plans or a clear route for producing one i.e. capacity building should be tailored to the individual and should have a clear goal/direction. Capacity building does not only apply to artists, but also to venues, to cultural organisations and to agents and event organisers. NECDAF Intercultural Arts needs to identify where assistance is needed and provide targeted support. It should be possible to secure funding for this and even earn income on a consultancy basis. 2.2.4 Education NECDAF Intercultural Arts has a role in promoting Interculturalism through the medium of the arts, which is broader than that of supporting individual artists. Educational activities represent an opportunity for NECDAF Intercultural Arts, specifically in: -

Assisting in introducing multicultural arts to schools and education in general to demonstrate the existence of other cultures in North East England and their contributions to the region;

-

Using art as a means to assist the integration of minority cultures, promoting confidence and creating diversity particularly for asylum seekers and refugees;

-

Promoting artists who combine aspects of different cultural traditions and demonstrate cultural cooperation through art;

-

Linking art to existing expressions of minority ethnic culture Black History Month, UNESCO World Day for Cultural Diversity etc;

-

Providing a service of tuition to adults who are interested in learning a new art form and possibly the representation of the artist’s culture through their art.

2.2.5 Networking and Research For NECDAF Intercultural Arts’s operations above, and its own credibility, it is clear that it needs to have as much contact with minority ethnic artists as possible. This relates to two aspects: -

Identifying minority ethnic artists in the region at all levels of development;

-

Active engagement with individual minority ethnic artists; more than keeping them on a passive list in order to recognise development opportunities and fully understand their needs.

13

This is not an easy process and is likely to be labour intensive. Clearly with limited resources it is important to work through intermediaries, which will include: -

Existing local and culture-specific artist associations;

-

Organisations serving Minority Ethnic communities, helping them to identify artists or potential artists e.g. North of England Refugee Service, BECON, local cultural officers, other parts of local authorities, Association of North East Councils.

NECDAF Intercultural Arts needs to have appropriate research capabilities to lobby and promote the sector effectively. This means being able to demonstrate economic value and to provide the background for audience development work. It is acknowledged that North East England does not always operate as a single area for the arts and that there is a concentration of arts funding in Tyneside. Consequently the needs and the institutions in Tees Valley have different characteristics and it is important that NECDAF Intercultural Arts has an appropriate local presence there. We do not seek to duplicate work which has already been done elsewhere, but rather to learn from the experience of other organisations and parts of the country. 2.2.6 Resources It is clear that expectations and ideas for activities outpace resources and that development of appropriate resources will need to be a major part of the plan. Resources relate both to finance and to people. Finance In the current economic situation it seems likely that funding for RFOs will not increase. While the decisions on which organisation gets what grant are not transparent, and NECDAF Intercultural Arts is not a major recipient, we cannot expect a major growth in this source of funding. Business sponsorship has been suggested as an avenue, but its should be noted that this is likely to be longer term, for specific activities (and therefore likely to be project based and restricted), and difficult to obtain in the current economic circumstances. Nonetheless we have decided to initiate a “Friends” scheme to raise funds form individual donors. The degree to which artists can be expected to pay for services is extremely limited and in any case may be a disincentive for the degree of outreach which NECDAF Intercultural Arts requires to fulfil its mission. There may be ways of providing services to other stakeholders (venues, cultural officers) which would help to subsidise services to artists themselves.

14

Grants for projects in the arts sector are increasingly competitive, and the current strategy of seeking a wide range of small grants is likely not to be cost effective in the long term nor is it likely to increase the budget above the current level. There are areas where there is funding available which is not directly linked to the arts (education, integration of refugees, heritage etc) and these need to be explored more fully. This means that to realise NECDAF Intercultural Arts’ ambitions: -

The primary sources of funding are likely to be project-based;

-

There is a need to look at ways of funding activities through grants from outside the arts sector;

-

We need to target a smaller number of large grants in order that fundraising does not eclipse time for other activities;

-

To keep our current profile, continued core funding from the Art Council is likely to be significant. In the event that Arts Council core funding is not available then the organisation will have to be run on a more commercial basis. As noted above the scope to charge artists is limited, we will need to identify public and commercial sector clients and subsidise services to artists from earned income.

People There are only two staff at present, but most of the activities envisaged are significantly labour intensive. This means: -

Employment of people on a project basis;

-

Prioritising core activities based on the availability of funding;

-

Mobilisation of any voluntary contributions that can be derived from sources related to NECDAF Intercultural Arts, in particular using connections of the Trustees;

-

Maximising activities which can be done on a consultancy basis (e.g. diversity advice/audits);

-

Creating volunteer/trainee work placements for labour intensive, but less skilled work.

15

3.0

What We Want to Achieve in the Next Five Years

We aim to grow in a way which responds to the needs of the sector and to be the development agency for Intercultural Arts in North East England. We can measure our success by: -

The development of individual artists, on both an artistic and professional level (figures based on the number of artists live on the website, numbers of artists who come to the regional forum, number of artists given specific types of support through NECDAF Intercultural Arts inspired projects);

-

The development of venues with regard to the diversity of their events (figures based on the number of venues who have used NECDAF Intercultural Arts promotional services, outreach or consultancy, specific figures where available on audiences for different types of event);

-

The development of audiences in terms of their awareness and understanding of other cultures, and their diversity in attending events of other cultures (this will be difficult to measure directly, but can be indicated through the number of venues which promote intercultural events);

-

The development of minority cultural communities and individuals from isolation towards confidence, participation and recognition by mainstream culture (this is also difficult to measure but can be indicated by the number of minority cultural events put on at mainstream venues and the number of artists supported directly or indirectly through NECDAF Intercultural Arts who do not have support through existing cultural societies);

-

The development of financial stability by diversifying our sources of income and using commercial opportunities (this can be measured by the percentage of funding which comes from funds earned by our own activities).

16

4.0

Strategy

4.1

Principles

We will seek to grow in a stable and sustainable manner. This means that we will: -

not undertake work which does not have identified funding;

-

seek to diversify sources of funding;

-

employ additional staff on terms related to the funding for their jobs if they are employed on project-based work;

-

only undertake projects which are well-researched and clearly based on identified needs.

We will seek to be a strategic organisation covering the whole North East. This means that we will: -

actively seek to find members and clients across the whole region;

-

seek to engage all region-wide bodies of relevance;

-

seek to cover the gaps left by other organisations and not duplicate existing services;

-

be sensitive to the differing nature and needs of the sector in different sub regions, in particular the needs of the Tees Valley as opposed to those of Tyne and Wear where NECDAF Intercultural Arts is currently based.

We will seek to be as close to “the grass roots” as possible. This means that we will: -

undertake activities where appropriate that give direct benefit to our members;

-

consult with our members when developing new projects and activities.

We recognise the importance of the Arts Council for core funding and will seek to maintain the current level of support. 4.2

Stages of Growth

In order to develop, we aim to proceed through three stages. 4.2.1 Consolidation (by 2010) We will remain at the present size and seek to concentrate almost exclusively on strategic priorities, acting as a lobby group and coordinator. Networking will be through 17

intermediaries and passively using the website. Major funding is from the Arts Council/RFO source with limited amounts of consultancy and smaller grants. -

We will continue to provide direct practical development support to artists and to act as a signpost to resources and support available through other sources;

-

We will form a limited number of strategic partnerships and to develop larger projects as opportunities arise;

-

We seek to learn from other organisations (and work outside the region) in planning for expansion.

4.2.2 Resource Centre (2010-2012) We will develop a more comprehensive set of activities and resources to support individual artists, who remain our focus of all of our activities. -

Project based funding is secured for the purpose of programmes which develop or benefit particular artists or sets of artists.

-

NECDAF Intercultural Arts seeks to promote the sector to all arts/cultural organisations and venues and gains support for this service through administration allowances from project funding.

4.2.3 Intercultural Arts Centre (2012-2014) We will become the key agent for the development of Intercultural Arts in North East England and seek to promote intercultural understanding through the medium of arts. This means justifying arts funding through its impact on other aspects (education, community cohesion, economy) and lobbying organisations which have an intercultural impact but are not necessarily directly connected with the arts. Funding comes from a diverse set of sources, mainly project-based. NECDAF Intercultural Arts will have extensive contacts and credibility outside the region. 4.3

Work Plan

4.3.1 General In outlining the work plan, we divide work between core work and project work. Core work is the work done by the core staff (as outlined below) and should continue indefinitely. Project work relates to the funding and implementation of specific projects. Projects would be expected to be limited in scope and time, and to have staff attached to them who are employed purely for their duration. Clearly it is not possible to predict exactly which projects will receive funding, the exact size of funding, nor what contribution projects will make to core costs, onetheless; we can make a plan which shows what type of projects are necessary to reach our ambitions, 18

what general level of funding this represents and the contribution such projects can make to core costs. For the purpose of planning we assume that the core staff will be relatively well engaged in projects and that the projects will contribute 30% of their turnover to core costs. We divide the rest of the work plan into the phases outlined above. 4.3.2 Consolidation Phase (to 2010) Core Work Core work will consist of the following activities: -

Maintaining contact with minority ethnic artists;

-

Maintaining the calendar of events and other information on the website;

-

Holding a quarterly forum for minority ethnic artists, regional stakeholders and cross-sector development partners to share views and guide NECDAF Intercultural Arts’s development;

-

Regular contact (at least quarterly) with all major venues in the region, to review and assist their activities to engage minority ethnic communities, offer services, remind them of NECDAF Intercultural Arts’existence, and if possible to monitor the trends in cultural diversity in their programming;

-

Maintaining contact with regional stakeholders and lobbying them on relevant issues. Stakeholders include: o Arts Council, ONE North East; o The Association of North East Councils (ANEC); o North East England Refugee Service (NERS). Key lobby points are: o the value of Intercultural Arts to the regional economy; o the ability of minority ethnic artists to articulate and address the problems of minority ethnic communities in the region; o the need for adequate funding.

-

Quarterly contact with cultural organisations (through the quarterly Regional Forum);

-

Mobilising Trustees and Associates to use their networks and contacts for the benefit of NECDAF Intercultural Arts;

19

-

Fundraising and sponsorship for the strategic development of the sector e.g. to create the Centre for Intercultural Arts or to secure equipment and other resources for shared use;

-

Consultancy work on diversity issues to public sector and commercial organisations for fees to subsidise continued free services to artists;

-

Maintaining the quality of our reactive responses to enquiries from artists and other stakeholders.

Projects Although there is limited scope for major project development in the first year there are a number of projects that are currently underway: -

Cultural Calendar; o A youth engagement project funded by Awards for All to produce a printed and digital calendar of community events and religious festivals, illustrated by digital photographs. The project aims to train young people to act as “Community Photographers” for future events and activities.

-

Sustained Theatre Regional Hub; o We have accepted a regional coordination role for a national Arts Council initiative to stimulate and develop minority ethnic theatre across the country.

-

Regional Forum for Intercultural Arts. o We have initiated a cross sector partnership of stakeholders in intercultural arts in our region. The Forum meets quarterly to discuss and ratify the work of 8 volunteer-led sub-groups charged with specific development aims.

We plan to use Black History Month (October 2009) as a lever for additional activities in the major venues and for the promotion of individual minority ethnic artists who are part of NECDAF Intercultural Arts’s database. We have secured a contract with the North East Regional Museums Hub to coordinate and promote the diversity activities of the different partners and market a programme of activities during Black History Month 2009. It would be helpful to do (limited) research into where minority ethnic artists are underrepresented in the creative industries in our region and to create plans for change if funding is secured.

Targets By the end of the year 2009/2010 there will be: -

20

A fresh and dynamic website;

-

Number of artists on the database: 100 (as per RFO agreement);

-

Development of projects for year 2 including delivery plans, detailed budgets and identification of core funders;

-

Strategic partnerships with other regional agencies (at least 2);

-

A further two projects which bring in revenue on a consultancy basis (on the model of work with Tyne and Wear Museums (above).

4.3.3 Resource Centre Phase (2010-2012) Core Work Core work continues as before, but additionally would include funding a Tees Valley worker with a specific brief to increase contact with minority ethnic artists in the southern part of the region. Projects Target is that projects will have a turnover of at least £30,000 in year 2 increasing to £45,000 in year 3. Specific project ideas: -

Promotion of North East minority ethnic artists and their work outside the region: support to a limited number of artists to promote their work elsewhere in the UK, including through coordination between NECDAF Intercultural Arts and other corresponding organisations in other regions. Funding could come partially from funds allocated to promoting North East England region;

-

Creation of a showcase (perhaps by means of a competition): work has been done on this before, but a key precondition is to develop interest amongst promoters. Assurance of quality will be important and a competition may be an approach to doing this without forcing NECDAF Intercultural Arts itself into making judgement on its clients;

-

Capacity building of individual artists (or specific cultural organisations) through a specific programme of activities. This is probably chiefly in the field of capacity building for “business” skills rather than “artistic” skills. Possible funding could come from business support organisations and programmes (Business and Enterprise North East, Working Neighbourhoods Fund etc);

-

Diversity audits of venues and consequent work with development of audience and offer. The contract secured with Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums 21

(TWAM) at the beginning of 2009 should be used as a model of a process/product which can be “sold” to other organisations, agencies and venues; -

Work to develop the visibility of artists from the communities of asylum seekers and refugees, and from the new member states who are living in North East England. This would almost certainly be in coordination with existing organisations such as NERS, possibly in order to raise funds from non-artistic sources such as those related to support of education, community cohesion and economic development;

-

Research work on how artists sustain themselves economically and consequently how the infrastructure of the sector can be developed to support artists more strategically. Since funding for research as such may be difficult to raise, this needs to be linked clearly with economic impact to gain funds from e.g. ONE North East. We propose to deliver a conference in 2010 with the theme of exploring the economic and social benefits to the region of investing in cultural diversity. Through the conference we aim to raise the profile of NECDAF Intercultural Arts regionally and nationally and to promote the concept of interculturalism.

Targets By the end of the financial year 2011/2012 there will be: -

Number of artists on the database: 150;

-

Number of performances at mainstream venues: 500 (in 2008 we promoted 256 events at 88 venues);

-

A number of North East artists performing outside the region: this will be difficult to measure, but projects related to this should have a target for the number of artists who will be supported.

4.3.4 Intercultural Arts Centre phase (2012-2014) Core Work Core work continues as before, but additionally would include an extra worker with responsibility for organising events and an expanded brief for the Tees Valley worker.

Projects Target is that projects will have a turnover of at least £100,000 in 2012/2013 increasing to £120,000 in 2013/2014. This ambitious target is necessary in order to generate the funds required for the size of organsiation we aspire to be. 22

Many previous projects will continue, but we will consider: -

Work with asylum seekers and refugees, using arts as therapy and to enhance community cohesion;

-

Work with schools to sustain and enhance the role of diverse arts into the curriculum. We will remain aware of developments in the curriculum that present opportunities for intercultural artists. We will broker contacts between artists and schools, ensuring that artists are prepared for delivering participatory arts in schools contexts. We will work in association with existing agencies introducing artists to schools and colleges;

-

Establishment of an actual physical centre and running it as a business;

-

Working as a “network of networks” and extending the work of NECDAF Intercultural Arts to other regions of the country. We have discovered that there are few organisations in the country with a similar remit and that this, along with the comparatively small population of the North East presents a unique set of development opportunities for minority ethnic arts in our region.

Targets By 2014 there will be: -

Number of artists on the database: 250;

-

Number of performances at mainstream venues: 750;

-

Number of North East artists performing outside the region (increased);

-

Number of schools involved: at least one in each of the 12 local authority areas;

-

A way to measure the diversity of audiences for minority ethnic art events in the region.

23

5.0

Management and Organisation

NECDAF Intercultural Arts is a not-for-profit organisation run by a Board of Trustees elected at an Annual General Meeting. The Trustees have formed subgroups for specific purposes which report back to the main Board. Additional staff will be employed on a project basis. These staff will be employed on appropriate temporary contracts and will report to the Director. Through its work as a networking organisation NECDAF Intercultural Arts works with a variety of associates and seeks to promote their work. This is done on an informal, networking approach and without a formal contractual relationship.

24

6.0

Financial Projections

6.1

Income and Expenditure

Within Annexe B we show two projections for the future, an optimistic one based on continued support by the Arts Council at the same level as present under a new RFO agreement, and a pessimistic one which assumes that Arts Council core funding will cease in 2011. Figures for the first year are based on existing budgets and commitments from the Arts Council Analysis of other comparable strategic organisations which receive Arts Council funding shows the difficulty of reliance on grants for core funding. It is difficult to find any example of a comparable organisation where the core costs are funded by unrestricted grants outside the Arts Council, the main other source of funding being local authorities. Name

Date

Income (Unrestricted) £91,000 (£69,000)

Source of Unrestricted Funding

Arcadea

31/03/08

Black Arts Alliance

18/02/08

£121,000 (£121,000)

Community Arts North West

31/03/08

£450,000 (£170,000)

Arts Council £63,000 (52%) Arts Council projects £33,000 (27%) Local Authorities £11,000 (9%) Arts Council £84,000 (19%) Local Authorities £44,000 (10%)

Diversity Arts Incubation Programme New Writing North

30/04/07

£100,000 (£100,000)

Arts Council £40,000 (40%) Heritage Lottery Fund £45,000 (45%)

31/03/08

£682,000 (£347,000)

Arts Council £263,000 (39%)

Arts Council £69,000 (76%) Newcastle Council £12,000 (13%)

In the optimistic scenario, other figures are based on the following assumptions: -

We assume that the level of Arts Council funding will not markedly decrease given that there is expansion and a higher level of activity and that this will give an opportunity to raise a modest amount of project funding from them. The actual percentage of the total will decrease as the organisation generates a greater proportion of its funding from project sources;

-

We aim to seek funds for an increased programme of projects to secure a greater contribution to our core costs;

-

We will approach local authorities to fund services and activities to contribute to core costs;

25

-

Earned income should increase, (particularly if there are more staff) but there is a limit to this owning to the limited staff resource involved;

-

The amount from sponsorship is based on the generation of a “friends of NECDAF Intercultural Arts” group who will put in (say) £1,000 each with a lead figure putting in (say) £5,000;

-

An extra member of staff is brought on board by 2012. A Tees Valley worker starts part time (and hosted by a Tees Valley organisation) in 2010 and increases their time allocation as funding (and work) increases;

-

In the first year, and in subsequent years where there is RFO funding, there will be a need to deliver a limited number of projects for which no funding is necessarily available to cover costs. We have put in a figure of £10,000 for this;

-

The figures do not account for inflation.

The pessimistic scenario uses a similar set of assumptions but additionally that: -

In the absence of Arts Council core funding there is greater scope to find project funding from them;

-

Employing additional staff is delayed and so the amount of project funding which can be generated is reduced;

-

Earned income increases because we have to concentrate on finding fees;

-

No projects are undertaken which fail to cover their costs.

6.2

Other Scenarios

In the current uncertain circumstances, it is also important to consider how to avoid risk, and we look at this in the annex. However, we also need to consider the positions with regard to capacity and variations in actual demand during the year. In this case we note the following: 1.

Capacity

There is the opportunity in the short term to divert core work from actual support to artists towards activities which would raise more funds, at least in the short term. This means specifically searching for grants and applying for them, and doing consultancy work. 2.

Reserves and Short term Loss

Reserves are currently nil but we aim for a minimum 3 month reserve (based on core costs). This is built into the current projections. Our ambition is to get to this stage within 26

18 months through avoidance of spending funds which we generate ourselves. Projections show that we can confidently get to this stage, even with expansion, by the end of 2011. 3.

Cash Flow Requirements

NECDAF Intercultural Arts’s cash flow is acutely dependent on the timing of grants relative to expenditure. It will be important that all project plans take cash flow requirements into account and this should be part of the planning and appraisal process.

27

7.0

Evaluation and Control

Both for funding agencies and for our own work, we need to have factual information on what happens to our clients and how successful we have been in addressing their needs. We will set targets for monitoring purposes for all activities and actively seek to monitor these. The business plan will be monitored by the Director on a regular basis, and progress reported to the Board at regular meetings. Evaluation will be focused on both outputs (what we have done), and outcomes (the difference made). Hard figures will be sought and captured where possible, and surveys will be conducted to gain qualitative feedback. We will establish a full and simple ‘QA’(question and answer) system so that we have also feedback in our commitment to quality. The effective delivery of the business plan will be evaluated by the following as example: • • • • • •

number of artists on the database; number of intercultural arts performances at mainstream venues; number of north east artists performing outside of the region; positive feedback and engagement with stakeholders (strategic partnerships developed); minority ethnic artists participating fully in North East England cultural scene; Minority Ethnic arts’ contribution to the region’s economy is acknowledged and supported.

Measures of success are identified in the Business Plan.

28

Annex A – Reducing Risk In order to reduce the operational risks inherant in the current business model we will do the following: 1.

Budget for a level of reserves representing 3 months’ operations;

2.

Ensure any additional services pay their way from the first day;

3.

Issue additional staff with contracts that include appropriate flexibility linking their employment to continued funding.

We acknowledge that there are other very serious risks in the current economic and political context, in particular with regard to: -

Probable change in government and consequent government policy;

-

Restrictions in public sector funding, with a probable “crisis year” in 2011;

-

Current political and economic problems giving rise to an increasingly xenophobic atmosphere which will start to be reflected in the actions of mainstream venues, politicians and funding bodies.

It is not possible to determine what we can do to mitigate these risks in all circumstances, rather we will seek to react to events as they happen. All of these problems can also be seen as opportunities and it will be important that we make alliances and lobby appropriate individuals and organisations. For the items above we note particularly: -

The need to keep in tune with Conservative policy on the Arts and with any relevant political representatives in the region;

-

The need to find evidence of the “diversity dividend” so that we can sell funding applications to local authorities as an investment which will bring back returns in terms of the economy and community cohesion. The conference in 2010 will be important in this regard;

-

The need to explain how our activities will be increasingly important if xenophobia and racism become greater problems.

29

Annex B – Financial Projections Optimistic Scenario 2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

£35,000.00 £2,000.00 £25,000.00 £6,000.00 £14,000.00 £6,000.00 £0.00 £88,000.00

£40,000.00 £5,000.00 £15,000.00 £6,000.00 £15,000.00 £15,000.00

£40,000.00 £5,000.00 £15,000.00 £6,000.00 £20,000.00 £15,000.00

£40,000.00 £5,000.00 £15,000.00 £6,000.00 £20,000.00 £15,000.00

£40,000.00 £5,000.00 £15,000.00 £6,000.00 £20,000.00 £15,000.00

£96,000.00

£101,000.00

£101,000.00

£101,000.00

£9,000.00 £30,000.00

£15,000.00 £50,000.00

£30,000.00 £100,000.00

£40,000.00 £133,333.33

£88,000.00

£105,000.00

£116,000.00

£131,000.00

£141,000.00

£40,000.00 £16,000.00

£40,000.00 £16,000.00 £16,000.00 £72,000.00 £10,000.00

£40,000.00 £16,000.00 £25,000.00 £81,000.00 £10,000.00

£60,000.00 £24,000.00 £25,000.00 £109,000.00 £10,000.00

£60,000.00 £24,000.00 £25,000.00 £109,000.00 £10,000.00

Income Arts Council Core Arts Council Projects Charitable Trusts Local Authorities Earned Income Sponsors Other Subtotal

Projects - net income from external projects (gross income required) Total Income

Expenditure Staffing Salaries On costs Tees Valley Worker Sub Total Administration

£56,000.00 £10,000.00

Projects which have a net cost Cultural Calendar Sustained Theatre Regional Hub Business Planning Regional Development & Forum

£10,000.00 £2,000.00 £5,000.00 £2,000.00

unidentified future projects Total projects cost

£19,000.00

£10,000.00 £10,000.00

£10,000.00 £10,000.00

£10,000.00 £10,000.00

£10,000.00 £10,000.00

Total Expenditure

£85,000.00

£92,000.00

£101,000.00

£129,000.00

£129,000.00

£3,000.00

£13,000.00

£15,000.00

£2,000.00

£12,000.00

£3,000.00

£16,000.00

£31,000.00

£33,000.00

£45,000.00

£16,500.00

£20,500.00

£22,750.00

£29,750.00

£29,750.00

-£13,500.00

-£4,500.00

£8,250.00

£3,250.00

£15,250.00

42%

36%

30%

22%

19%

Net

Statistics Cumulative surplus starting from zero in 2009 Target reserve at 25% core costs Difference between actual and target reserves Arts Council as a % of total (including project spend)

30

Pessimistic Scenario 2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

£35,000.00 £2,000.00 £25,000.00 £6,000.00 £14,000.00 £6,000.00 £0.00 £88,000.00

£40,000.00 £5,000.00 £15,000.00 £6,000.00 £15,000.00 £15,000.00

£15,000.00 £15,000.00 £6,000.00 £30,000.00 £15,000.00

£15,000.00 £15,000.00 £6,000.00 £40,000.00 £15,000.00

£15,000.00 £15,000.00 £6,000.00 £40,000.00 £15,000.00

£96,000.00

£81,000.00

£91,000.00

£91,000.00

£9,000.00 £30,000.00

£15,000.00 £50,000.00

£18,000.00 £60,000.00

£21,000.00 £70,000.00

£88,000.00

£105,000.00

£96,000.00

£109,000.00

£112,000.00

£40,000.00 £16,000.00

£40,000.00 £16,000.00 £16,000.00 £72,000.00 £10,000.00

£40,000.00 £16,000.00 £16,000.00 £72,000.00 £10,000.00

£40,000.00 £16,000.00 £16,000.00 £72,000.00 £10,000.00

£40,000.00 £16,000.00 £16,000.00 £72,000.00 £10,000.00

Income Arts Council Core Arts Council Projects Charitable Trusts Local Authorities Earned Income Sponsors Other Subtotal

Projects - net income from external projects (gross income required) Total Income

Expenditure Staffing Salaries On costs Tees Valley Worker Sub Total Administration

£56,000.00 £10,000.00

Projects which have a net cost Cultural Calendar Sustained Theatre Regional Hub Business Planning Regional Development & Forum

£10,000.00 £2,000.00 £5,000.00 £2,000.00

unidentified future projects Total projects cost

£19,000.00

£10,000.00 £10,000.00

£0.00 £0.00

£0.00 £0.00

£0.00 £0.00

Total Expenditure

£85,000.00

£92,000.00

£82,000.00

£82,000.00

£82,000.00

£3,000.00

£13,000.00

£14,000.00

£27,000.00

£30,000.00

£3,000.00

£16,000.00

£30,000.00

£57,000.00

£87,000.00

£16,500.00

£20,500.00

£20,500.00

£20,500.00

£20,500.00

-£13,500.00

-£4,500.00

£9,500.00

£36,500.00

£66,500.00

42%

36%

11%

10%

9%

Net

Statistics Cumulative surplus starting from zero in 2009 Target reserve at 25% core costs Difference between actual and target reserves Arts Council as a % of total (including project spend)

31

NECDAF Intercultural Arts www.necdaf.co.uk

Plan prepared by Ribble Consultants 39 Thorndale Road, Belmont, Durham DH1 2AJ www.ribble-consultants.co.uk

32