Cultural destinations – putting culture at the
heart of the visitor economy
Guidance for applicants
Contents
Section one – introduction ................................................................ 2
Welcome ............................................................................................................. 2
About Arts Council England ............................................................................. 2
Section two – purpose of the activity ............................................... 3
Aims and outcomes ........................................................................................... 3
Section three – requirements ............................................................ 4
What you will be expected to deliver ............................................... 4
Consortium arrangements ................................................................................ 5
Section four – financial and delivery timetable................................ 6
How much funding is available? ....................................................................... 6
What activity can the grant support? ............................................................... 7
Section five – how to apply ............................................................... 8
Eligibility ............................................................................................................. 8
Who can apply .................................................................................................... 8
Application process ........................................................................................... 9
1. Read this guidance carefully and contact us ......................................... 9
2. Prepare and submit your full application ............................................... 9
3. Upload the following attachments .......................................................... 9
Section six – how we will make our decision ................................ 10
Decisions .......................................................................................................... 12
Complaints procedure ..................................................................................... 12
Section seven – Freedom of Information Act ................................. 13
Data protection ................................................................................................. 13
Section one – introduction
Welcome
Thank you for your interest in applying for a Cultural destinations grant to help
England’s world-class cultural sector take its place as a key part of our visitor
economy. Working with VisitEngland1, we want to see culture at the heart of the
tourist offer in places all over the country.
Cultural Destinations is an initiative which forms part of the three-year partnership
between Arts Council England and VisitEngland, the national tourist board, to help
develop the potential of arts and culture to drive growth in the visitor economy.
This programme is a key means to achieving this. It aims to increase participation
in the arts, expand the markets open to culture to make the sector more resilient
and sustainable, and contribute to economic growth. This guidance gives you
information on how to apply. Please read this guidance carefully.
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural
experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the
arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to
literature, and crafts to collections.
Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about
ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2011
and 2015, we will invest £1.4 billion of public money from the government and an
estimated £850 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences
for as many people as possible across the country.
On 1 October 2011, we added museums and libraries to our remit. As with the
arts, this will see us championing, developing and investing in museums and
VisitEngland is the country’s national tourist board. VisitEngland works in partnership with the
industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow
the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors. More
1
information can be found on www.visitengland.com and www.visitengland.org
2
a list of leading Destination Organisations has been compiled by VisitEngland
http://www.visitengland.org/england-tourism-industry/how-tourism-ismanaged/destination_organisations/regions_england.aspx
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libraries. In April 2012, we announced a new network of music education hubs,
working with funding from the Department for Education.
For more information about the Arts Council visit www.artscouncil.org.uk.
Section two – purpose of the activity
Aims and outcomes
Culture and the visitor economy have an interdependent relationship. Cultural
attractions, including theatres, art galleries, festivals and museums, attract visitors
to a destination and their spending helps to sustain these cultural venues and
organisations. This relationship between culture and the visitor economy has
recently been highlighted in a partnership statement from Arts Council England
and VisitEngland, which sets out how we will work together over the next three
years. This funding programme is part of our commitment to aligning our funds to
achieve our shared goals.
The aim of Cultural destinations is to enable arts and culture organisations working
in partnership with Destination Organisations2, to increase their reach,
engagement and resilience through working with the tourism sector. Closer
working between the two sectors will contribute to the economic growth of the
cultural and tourism visitor economies. We are therefore opening this scheme
exclusively to applications from consortia. Each consortium will need a nominated
lead applicant.
This programme will support the positioning of culture as a prominent part of the
local visitor offer, helping to drive growth of the visitor economy. Cultural
destinations aims to build partnership capacity in the cultural and visitor economy
sectors to achieve the following outcomes:
 more and different types of people experiencing the arts and culture in local
destinations in a way that contributes to the growth of the local visitor
economy
 increased income leading to greater sustainability and resilience for cultural
organisations and tourism businesses in local destinations
 repositioning of culture as a prominent part of the visitor offer and local
economic growth plans
2
a list of leading Destination Organisations has been compiled by VisitEngland
http://www.visitengland.org/england-tourism-industry/how-tourism-ismanaged/destination_organisations/regions_england.aspx
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a commitment from public and private sector partners to continue working in
partnership to support the growth of the local visitor economy through
cultural tourism beyond the life of this project
We want to share the learning from the programme widely, so successful
applicants will be asked to:
 evaluate the impact of activity on audience engagement and visitor
economy growth
 identify and share high quality practice and learning which can be
disseminated nationwide
 review projects and actively disseminate learning locally
Section three – requirements
What you will be expected to deliver
Applications must be submitted by a lead applicant on behalf of their consortium.
This can be either an arts organisation or museum, but please note that museum
funding is limited to 2013/14 and 2014/15 (see section 4), so consortia should
consider carefully which organisation is most appropriate.
Consortia must comprise of at least one cultural organisation (arts organisation or
museum) and one Destination Organisation. In most instances we would expect
this to be the recognised local Destination Organisation; however, it could be any
entity (public, private or both) that undertakes tourism development or marketing
activities on behalf of a destination3.
All Destination Organisation’s included in consortia must have in place a
Destination Management Plan 4 or have one in development.
The lead applicant should work together with the consortium to submit an
application that identifies unmet growth potential in the local visitor economy and a
joint plan for capacity building activity which will realise this potential.
Applicants must also demonstrate how the project will contribute to:
3
Destination management organisations vary in form, function, governance and size but
essentially take a lead role in the management and development of tourism in a destination. These
may be a single organisation, such as a local authority; an informal partnership; or a legal entity,
such as a community interest company, that includes representation from both the private and
public sectors
4 A Destination Management Plan (DMP) is a shared statement of intent to manage a destination
over a stated period of time, articulating the roles of the different stakeholders and identifying clear
actions that they will take and the apportionment of resources.
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Arts Council England’s goals as set out in Achieving great art for everyone
and Culture, knowledge and understanding: great museums and libraries
for everyone, particularly goals 2 and 3:
o increases in the numbers of people taking part in the arts or
experiencing museums in participating areas
o increased resilience for cultural organisations in participating areas
 the growth of the local visitor economy and alignment with the Strategic
Framework for Tourism in England 2010-20
Applicants must also demonstrate how each arts organisation or museum in the
consortium demonstrates a contribution to goal 1 of Achieving great art for
everyone or Culture, knowledge and understanding: great museums and libraries
for everyone.
Consortium arrangements
Consortia do not need to be formally constituted. If awarded a grant they will be
required to put in place a written partnership agreement or memorandum of
understanding. This agreement will have to address several points:
 that the lead applicant is solely responsible to Arts Council England under
the terms of the funding agreement
 the lead applicant should consider how it ensures that all partners deliver
on their obligations under the partnership and how it would deal with any
non-performance
 how organisations can leave or join the consortium over the lifetime of the
grant and how this will be managed
Before making an application or discussing a potential application with Arts
Council England we strongly advise each consortium to consider and discuss the
following questions:
 is there a clear commitment from each consortium member to work
together, including from boards (or equivalent governance structures)?
 can partners clearly identify unmet growth potential in the local visitor
economy that could be realised by repositioning and growing cultural
tourism?
 can the consortium secure the commitment of key cultural organisations
and local partners required to deliver the programmes outcomes? For
example (but not exclusively):
o the local authority (where it is not the partner Destination
Organisation), Local Enterprise Partnership,
o the private sector (eg via a local chamber of commerce, local
tourism businesses, hotels association or other key local
businesses)
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 is the membership of the consortium well balanced in numbers of cultural
organisations and local partners?
 are consortium members able to commit the time and resources required
over the duration of the award to realise their ambitions?
 is each consortium member’s level of engagement in the project clearly set
out?
 how will the group work to identify and address shared development issues
or skills gaps?
 does each consortium member have the commitment to deliver a long-term
step change in the role that culture plays in the local visitor economy?
 who is the appropriate lead applicant to submit an application and to
manage and report on the grant?
 can the consortium adequately measure the impact on the visitor economy
and arts audiences in their destination?
The consortium (or a wider partnership convened by the consortium) could include
other organisations who are part of the local visitor economy, eg heritage, sport or
outdoor adventure, but they cannot receive any of the grant unless they are
delivering arts or museums activity for the project. They may, however, benefit
indirectly from investment in some activity, for instance, research commissioned to
identify shared audiences or markets with a view to developing joint promotional
activity, packages or itineraries.
Section four – financial and delivery timetable
How much funding is available?
There is £3 million available to support arts organisations from the National
Lottery, £80,000 from the Arts Council’s grant in aid in 2013/2014 and £200,000 in
2014/2015 to support museums.
Consortia can apply for grants of between £250,000 and £350,000 for projects that
will run from March 2014 for a maximum of three years, ending no later than
March 2017. Consortia must contribute a minimum of 10 per cent match funding
as either cash or in-kind contributions.
Funding to support museums is not secured beyond March 2015 therefore project
budgets should only include an allocation for museums in 2013/14 and 2014/15.
The Arts Council will notify successful applicants if further funding for museums is
available after March 2015. Funding allocated for museum activity cannot be more
than 10 per cent of the requested grant amount and should be clearly ring-fenced
in proposed budgets. Given that the grant in aid available to support museum
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engagement is very limited, we may amend budgets or require that museums are
withdrawn from consortia in some successful applications.
The grant does not need to be allocated evenly between consortium members and
applications can propose both group and individual activities. Each application’s
budget and project plan will depend on the activity it plans to undertake. However,
we expect to see effective and efficient use of the grant.
What activity can the grant support?
We are interested in applications for projects that include activities such as:
 market and audience/visitor research that is designed to inform the
repositioning of the cultural offer
 strategy and policy development where it is reflected and embedded in local
Destination Management Plans
 cultural and tourism asset mapping
 cultural product development where it is demonstrably linked to long-term
visitor economy growth
 small amounts of marketing and promotional activity (where it is additional
to existing activity and is a minor part of the overall project)
 itinerary and package development
 sector events, meetings and workshops
 familiarisation visits
 training
 attendance at tourism trade shows or other business-to-business
development opportunities
 improved interpretation and visitor information, including digital assets
 evaluating the impact of funded activity on visitor economy growth and
cultural engagement
This is intended only as an indicative list and is not exhaustive. We expect
successful projects will include a variety of activities in order to deliver the
outcomes required by this programme.
VisitEngland will work with successful applicants to develop promotional activity at
appropriate and mutually agreed points during the lifetime of their projects. Other
applicants coming forward for support under the Cultural destinations programme
may also be able to benefit from promotional activity provided by VisitEngland.
Please note: support from VisitEngland may require further match funding outside
of this award.
The following activities will not be funded through this scheme:
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core funding of a local cultural/visitor economy partnership body (existing or
new) or other partner organisations
marketing and promotional activity that duplicates existing activity, or is not
a minor element in the overall project
project management costs other than those directly associated with the
funded project
activity funded through other Arts Council funding schemes
activity that does not fit within the Destination Management Plan and other
local strategic plans for the area
Section five – how to apply
Eligibility
Who can apply
We do not expect to make more than 15 awards through this scheme. The
scheme is likely to be over-subscribed and highly competitive. We would
encourage you not to invest time and effort in making an application that is unlikely
to be successful.
We would strongly encourage a representative from each prospective consortium
to discuss the proposed application with their local Arts Council office before
submission to ensure it meets the programme criteria.
To be eligible to apply for Cultural destinations funding, lead applicants must:
 apply for the amount within the range specified in section four
 apply for activity taking place between March 2014 and March 2017
 be able to contribute 10 per cent match funding either in cash or in-kind
 lead applicants must be either an arts organisation or museum that has
previously been awarded funding from any Arts Council England funding
programme in an offer letter dated on or after July 1 2010. This funding
must have been awarded to the legal entity applying to this scheme
 show how each arts and museums partner in the consortium demonstrates
a contribution within England to goal 1 of Achieving great art for everyone or
goal 1 of Culture, knowledge and understanding: great museums and
libraries for everyone
 make an application on behalf of a consortium of organisations which can
demonstrate a shared long-term commitment to repositioning cultural
tourism as part of the overall visitor offer
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 the lead applicant must be able to demonstrate financial stability,
appropriate governance and an ability to accept, administer and account for
the grant on behalf of the consortium
 consortia can be formed of any number of organisations but there must be
at least two members; one of whom must be a recognised Destination
Organisation with a Destination Management Plan in place or have one in
development
 consortium members, including Destination Organisations, can only be a
named as a member of one consortium in a single destination
The lead applicant must be properly constituted as an organisation based in
England (and able to make available copies of governance documentation),
including:
 Limited companies registered at Companies House
 Community interest companies (CIC) registered with the CIC regulator
 Charities or trusts registered with the Charity Commission
 Limited liability partnerships registered at Companies House
 Partnerships established under a Deed of Partnership
 Industrial and provident societies or community benefit societies subject to
regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority
 Royal Charter companies
 Statutory bodies
You cannot apply if you are:
1. an organisation based outside of England
2. an individual
Application process
1. Read this guidance carefully and contact us
This guidance gives you information on how to apply and answers some
common questions. If you have any further questions you can contact our
enquiries team at enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk.
2. Prepare and submit your full application
You must apply through the online application portal using the standard
application form. The proposal must be a maximum of 8,000 words.
3.
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

Upload the following attachments
the lead applicant’s latest annual accounts
the lead applicant’s management accounts
the lead applicant’s governance documents
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a detailed budget for the proposed project
details of the proposed consortium
a work plan for the proposed project, including milestones and key review
dates
the Destination Management Plan, covering the destination(s) where the
activity will take place
evidence of match funding, ie letters from other partners or funders
Applications must be submitted no later than 5pm on Thursday 26 September
2013. Applications submitted after this time will not be considered.
You will receive an acknowledgement email confirming that we have successfully
received your application.
Section six – how we will make our decision
We will check your application to ensure that it is eligible and that you have
provided all the information we have requested.
We will make our decision based on the information you provide in your
application, any further information that we request and, where relevant, data and
information from the Charity Commission and Companies House websites relating
to your constitution and audited accounts from the past two years.
We may consult VisitEngland for their views on how well you have met the brief in
relation to visitor economy growth.
Applications will be assessed using a five-point word scoring:
 Not Met
 Potential
 Met
 Met – Strong
 Met – Outstanding
On the basis of these ratings we will recommend whether an application is suitable
for funding. Applications that do not achieve at least Met under all three criteria will
not be recommended for funding.
We will look at each individual application on its own merits and assess against
the following criteria, using the assessment prompts below.
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Criteria/
weighting
Meeting the
brief
(Weighting at
decision: 60%)
Word count:
up to 4,000
words
What we will look for?
How well does the application meet the aims of
the scheme? This includes, but is not limited to:
- Are there clear and convincing plans to deliver
the aims and outcomes described in this brief?
- Does the application demonstrate a clear vision
underpinned by in-depth understanding of the
place of culture in the local visitor economy?
-Does the application demonstrate how the
project will contribute to Arts Council England’s
goals as set out in Achieving great art for
everyone and Culture, knowledge and
understanding: great museums and libraries for
everyone goals 2 and 3
- Does the consortium include appropriate
partners with clear roles and responsibilities?
- Does the Destination Organisation have a
Destination Management Plan in place?
- Do all arts and museums consortium members
make a contribution to goal 1 of Achieving great
art for everyone or goal 1 of Culture, knowledge
and understanding: great museums and libraries
for everyone
- Is there evidence of a commitment to long-term
cultural tourism development leading to visitor
economy growth from all consortium members?
- Does the application demonstrate alignment
with the Strategic framework for tourism in
England 2010-20?
- Are there clear plans in place to evaluate and
adequately measure the impact of the activity on
visitor economy growth, cultural engagement and
resilience?
Source of
information
application
form
work plan for
proposed
project
project budget
details of
proposed
consortium
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Governance
and
management
of activity
(Weighting at
decision: 20%)
Word count:
up to 2,000
words
Financial
viability
(Weighting at
decision: 20%)
Word count:
up to 2,000
words
- Does the application clearly demonstrate how
the consortium will manage the activity and
budget?
- Are appropriate governance arrangements in
place and/or planned, including how partners are
engaged?
- Does the application demonstrate effective and
efficient use of the grant?
- Does the lead applicant have good governance
arrangements in place?
- Does the application demonstrate that the lead
applicant and consortium have the appropriate
skills and capacity to deliver the programme?
application
form
- Does the lead applicant have appropriate
financial systems and resources in place to
manage the grant?
- Is the lead applicant financially stable?
- Are there robust and realistic plans for
resourcing the activity effectively?
- Is the minimum amount of 10 per cent match
funding confirmed, or is there evidence that it will
be confirmed during the lifetime of the project?
application
form
budget
lead
applicant’s
governance
documents
annual and
management
accounts of
lead applicant
budget
Decisions
Once applications have been assessed, Arts Council England will make a decision
on awards, balancing:
 the relative strength of each application against criteria compared to
other applications received in an area
 geography across England
Arts Council England will make a decision on awards and applicants will be
notified of the decision no later than 16 January 2014.
Any decision to offer funding will be subject to discussing and finalising a detailed
funding agreement. This process could result in agreed changes to your planned
activities and budgets and consequently to your level of funding.
Complaints procedure
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If you are not happy with the way we have dealt with your application, please
contact us and we will discuss this with you. If you are still unhappy, you can ask
us for a copy of our complaints procedure.
Details can be found in Making a complaint, which is available on our website
www.artscouncil.org.uk or by contacting our enquiries team by email at
enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk or by phoning 0845 300 6200.
Please note that you can only complain if you believe we have not followed our
published procedures when assessing your application. You cannot appeal
against the decision.
Section seven – Freedom of Information Act
The Arts Council is committed to being as open as possible. We believe that the
public has a right to know how we spend public funds and how we make our
funding decisions.
We are also listed as a public authority under the Freedom of Information Act
2000. By law, we may have to provide your application documents and information
about our assessment to any member of the public who asks for them under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We may not release those parts of the documents which are covered by one or
more of the exemptions under the Act. Please see the Freedom of Information
website at www.foi.gov.uk for information about freedom of information generally
and the exemptions.
We will not release any information about applications during the assessment
period, as this may interfere with the decision-making process.
Data protection
As a public organisation we have to follow the Data Protection Act 1998 and the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. We have a data protection policy, which is
available from our website.
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