Anyone else left gutted by NPO decisions?

[Quodlibet]

Or am I on my own here?

?

Do you mean the ACE National Portfolio? If so, not on your own. My organisation has been slashed by 100% today meaning that in about a year's time, unless something dramatic happens. I won't have any income. But I am glad I have that year.

TalkinPeace2 - today the Arts Council of England announced their funding decisions from 2012 onwards, and around 200 previously regularly funded organisations have had their funding cut, some completely, like the one I work for.

I hope it goes without saying that I am absolutely gutted for my colleagues too, some of whom are in a far worse position than I am.

Aha, comprende.
This is indeed gutting for all concerned BUT there is light at the end of the tunnel and it does not involve grants and government funding.

Greenwich Theatre had its funding cut nearly 20 years ago.
It closed for at least a year (if I remember correctly)
Gradually it started to accept touring productions, comedy nights, local groups.
Anything that covered the costs and did not involve a grant form.
It took years but the place is now on a sound and sustainable footing and better than it ever was when it relied on the whim of politicians.

You just have to start to think laterally as well as creatively.
We have to accept that for the past 15 years we have been living on money borrowed from our children. For their sakes we have to wean ourselves off it and start saving money up for them.

BadPoet - very very sorry you have had bad news.

The problem with using Greenwich Theatre as a model is that many many of the commercialy viable productions rely on talent that has been developed and 'road tested' in the subsidised sector. The arts overall make money for this country. They make actual cash, and also prevent expenditure in many social contexts. The subsidised sector is where the arts community do their R&D, product development, and training. Good for the Greenwich theatre - a successful local theatre, but it is succesfull partly because it relies on reliable arts product. It's programme is enjoyable but is neither risky nor innovative.

War Horse is a W End success and raking in VAT and income through the tourist trade, hospitality industries etc - but a show like that would never have developed from scratch in the comercial sector. The artists who worked on it developed thier talent in small subsidised thates where the 'right to fail' enabled the experimentation that creates gasp-worthy theatre.

Yes. We've discussed alternative ways of raising money before and no doubt will again (soon!). However the model you've described wouldn't work for us - our main avenue for raising funds would be to increase membership fees & services which is likely to be counter-productive since our members also belong to a sector receiving heavy cuts. We're virtual and all staff are freelance. We deliver a lot for very little as it is. It's hard to see how we can go on.

I am OK with it, I'm pursuing other avenues and can reduce outgoings - we'll be OK even if I don't bring anything in for 6m-1yr. Not the case for everyone.

Thanks Blu. You are spot on, both in general and about us (we are not a theatre organisation but extensively support the delivery of training in another artform).

I'm just not understanding the logic behind the allocations or total cuts that's all...
The arts do have to wake up like every other sector and work 'leaner and meaner, BUT most work on the breadline anyway....
sigh

BadPoet, very sorry about your bad news too. We're in a different situation having been encouraged to go for NPO after expecting a move to RFO this year or next, got turned down and are now locked out for 4 years which means much uncertainty and redefining all our plans for organisational growth etc. Really depressed by the thought of at least that amount more time living hand to mouth scraping around with no core income at all. As well as the survival of our company (theatre) I am getting anxious about what I will live on in a year's time as one by one all my normal sources of income dry up or get cut.

Blu, good explanation, thanks for wading in.

I am very sorry you are still on the treadmill of project funding, Quodlibet. It's a killer slog.