Arts and culture fundraising consultancy

We help theatres, galleries, museums, festivals and creative organisations across the UK find the funding their work deserves.

Book a free discovery call
Book a free discovery call

What we do

The funding landscape for arts and culture organisations is one of the most competitive and complex in the UK charity sector.

Arts organisations face a unique funding challenge. They sit across multiple funder priorities at once: culture, education, community engagement, wellbeing, economic development and they are often expected to justify the intrinsic value of their work in the language of social impact and measurable outcomes.

That tension is real. And it requires fundraising that is both strategically sharp and culturally literate.

At Alira Arts, we understand the arts funding landscape from the inside. We know which trusts prioritise artistic excellence, which statutory funders want community reach, and how to make a compelling case to Arts Council England and other funders without losing the artistic integrity of your vision.

Whether you are a producing theatre building a capital campaign, a festival developing your trust income, or an early-stage cultural organisation finding your funding feet, we help you raise more with less guesswork.

How we can help

Fundraising strategy, bid writing, capital campaigns and Arts Council England support tailored to your organisation.

Alira Arts provides five core fundraising services to arts and culture organisations: trusts and foundations fundraising, capital campaign strategy, Arts Council England application support, major donor strategy and case for support development.

  • Trusts and foundations remain the backbone of income for most arts organisations in the UK. We help you identify the right funders for your specific work whether that is artistic development, capital projects, education programmes, touring or community engagement, strengthen your applications and build a sustainable pipeline of grant income.

  • Capital campaigns are among the most complex and high-stakes fundraising projects an arts organisation will undertake. We support organisations through the full arc of a capital campaign from the initial case for support and funder mapping through to major gift solicitation, public phase strategy and completion. We have experience working with organisations raising from the mid-six figures to the seven-figure range.

  • Our ACE Application Review service helps arts organisations, individual artists and cultural projects submit stronger, more competitive Arts Council England applications. We review your draft, identify weaknesses, sharpen your artistic case and ensure your application clearly meets ACE's investment principles and assessment criteria at every funding level from Project Grants to National Portfolio.

  • Many arts organisations have warm relationships with trustees, patrons and supporters that have never been converted into significant gifts. We help you identify your major gift prospects, build the right approach strategy, develop a compelling ask and support your leadership through the donor conversation from first approach to transformational gift.

  • A compelling case for support is the foundation of every successful arts fundraising campaign. We help you articulate your artistic vision, your community impact, your organisational track record and your future ambitions in language that funders find both compelling and credible. For arts organisations, this often means finding the right balance between artistic conviction and funder-facing evidence.

Who we work with

Producing theatres, galleries, museums, festivals, touring companies and creative organisations of all sizes.

  • Producing and receiving theatres.

  • Galleries and visual arts organisations.

  • Museums and heritage organisations.

  • Festivals and outdoor arts organisations.

  • Touring companies and artists

  • Music organisations and ensembles

  • Dance companies and choreographers

  • Literary organisations and publishers

Organisation types

  • Organisations building their trust income for the first time.

  • Established organisations running capital campaigns.

  • Organisations applying to Arts Council England.

  • Cultural organisations developing major donor programmes.

  • Creative organisations expanding into new sectors.

  • Founder-led arts organisations at a growth inflection point.

  • Organisations recovering and rebuilding post-funding loss.

  • Cultural organisations developing environmental or community programmes.

By stage and need

Why arts organisations choose Alira Arts

  • We understand the sector

    Our Founder and CEO Hannah Thomas is an artist herself which means we are not generalist consultants who occasionally work with arts organisations. Arts and culture is where Alira Arts was built we understand the funder landscape, the ACE investment principles, the capital campaign dynamics and the major donor relationships that define this sector.

  • We balance art and strategy

    The best arts fundraising holds the artistic vision and the funding strategy in balance. We never ask you to flatten your work into impact metrics. We help you make the case for it on its own terms and in language that funders understand and respond to.

  • We work at every scale

    From Project Grant applications to seven-figure capital campaigns, we tailor our support to the scale of the challenge and the capacity of the organisation. You do not need a large development team to access high-quality fundraising consultancy.

  • We are honest about what works

    Arts fundraising is competitive. Not every application will succeed. We give you an honest assessment of your prospects, a clear view of the landscape and the best possible version of your case so that when you do succeed, it is built on solid foundations.

  • We take the long view

    The most valuable arts fundraising relationships with funders and major donors alike are built over years, not months. We help you think and act strategically about the long term, not just the next deadline.

  • We understand both sides of the sector

    Most environmental fundraising consultants work exclusively with charities. We work with charities and for-profit organisations which means we understand funding routes, funder expectations and application requirements across both, and can map the right strategy for wherever your organisation sits.

Arts Council England applications

Our ACE Application Review service is designed for arts organisations and individual artists who want expert eyes on their application before submission.

We review your draft against ACE's current investment principles and assessment criteria, identify the weakest parts of your case, sharpen your artistic and organisational narrative and give you clear, actionable feedback that makes a real difference to your chances of success.

Whether you are applying for a Project Grant, a Developing Your Creative Practice award or a National Portfolio Organisation assessment we can help.

Find out more about ACE review
Find out more about ACE review

FAQs

  • An arts fundraising consultant helps cultural organisations identify the right funding sources, develop their case for support, strengthen their applications and build sustainable income strategies. Services typically include trusts and foundations support, Arts Council England application review, capital campaign strategy, major donor fundraising and case for support development. A specialist arts consultant understands both the funder landscape and the specific challenges of communicating artistic value and cultural impact.

  • Arts organisations in the UK access funding through several main routes trusts and foundations, Arts Council England, local authority grants, statutory funders, major donors, corporate partnerships and earned income. The right mix depends on the size, location, artform and stage of development of the organisation. Most sustainable arts organisations build income across multiple streams rather than relying on any single source.

  • A strong ACE application clearly articulates the artistic vision and ambition of the project, demonstrates the organisation's track record and capacity to deliver, shows a clear understanding of who will benefit and how, and provides a realistic and well-evidenced budget. Applications that fail most commonly do so because the artistic case is underdeveloped, the impact evidence is weak or the budget does not reflect the activity described. An experienced reviewer can identify these weaknesses before submission.

  • A capital campaign is a time-limited, high-value fundraising effort to raise a specific sum for a major project typically a building, renovation, endowment or significant equipment purchase. Arts organisations should consider a capital campaign when they have a clear and compelling case for the project, strong board and leadership commitment, a lead gift prospect or existing donor relationships, and the organisational capacity to sustain the effort over a multi-year period. Running a capital campaign without these foundations in place is one of the most common and costly mistakes in arts fundraising.

  • Yes. We work across the full range from individual Project Grant applications to multi-million pound capital campaigns. The level of support, the timeline and the fee structure are tailored to the scale of the project and the needs of the organisation.

  • Fees vary depending on the scope of work, the organisation's size and what level of support is needed. We offer project-based support for specific applications or campaigns, as well as ongoing retained consultancy for organisations that want sustained strategic support. A free discovery call is the best way to discuss your needs and find the right level of support.

  • Yes. We work with both arts organisations and individual artists particularly around Arts Council England applications including Project Grants and Developing Your Creative Practice awards. If you are an artist building your first significant funding relationship or preparing a major application, we can help.

  • Both. We can support a single application, a bid review, a case for support document or a short-term project. We also offer ongoing retained consultancy for organisations that want consistent strategic support across their fundraising programme. Many of our arts sector clients start with a specific project and move into a longer-term relationship as their needs develop.

Let's talk!

Whether you are a theatre, gallery, festival or creative organisation if your work deserves stronger funding, we would like to hear about it.

A free discovery call is the best place to start. No obligation just a conversation about your organisation, your funding goals and where you need support.

Book a free discovery call