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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£103.3K
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Spending
£110.3K
Public benefits
What benefits flow from each purpose: The benefits that flow from promoting and advancing the arts is the way that we do accrue to individuals in the form of learning about arts, discovering their own creativity and talent, building their confidence to make change in their own lives or communities, and enhancing their social connectedness and
sense of wellbeing. In promoting the arts benefit also flows to local artists who gain employment and experience in community arts. Wider benefits flowing from promoting appreciation of art include making a contribution to a society in which the arts are more widely appreciated and supported. The benefits that flow from promoting a common effort, that is to say advancing community development (ie people working together to identify and address common issues) are an increase in community trust, pride and confidence, growing community connections and stronger community organisations. In promoting common effort through partnerships with voluntary and public sector organisations we educate them in the power of art for making positive change in communities. How we demonstrate this We will demonstrate benefits to individuals through short surveys of participant containing core questions, by asking for narrative feedback, by gathering visual evidence of the art created and collecting case studies. We will record the number of artists employed and collect feedback on the value of their learning and experience gained while with us. We will demonstrate benefits to communities through follow-up surveys or interviews with our partner organisations in those communities at set periods after the completion of each project. We will demonstrate increased appreciation of art itself and of the value of art to make change in communities through surveys of participants’ and partners’ attitudes. We will also use the number of returners and requests for repeated programmes as indicators of growing appreciation of the arts. The Trustees will conduct annual reviews of the above data to ensure that outcomes are being delivered and will commission evaluations as resources allow. Any harm caused We have carefully considered whether achieving our purposes or the way in which we pursue them would cause any harm. There is some risk that certain sections of our community may feel uncomfortable should less often heard communities find a voice through arts. We consider that the benefit outweighs the harm. Who our beneficiaries are The benefits of advancing the arts and of advancing community development are provided to all those who take part, their immediate communities and to community organisations. Any private benefit A private benefit flowing from our purpose is that freelance artists are paid and that they, and our volunteers, gain experience useful to their future careers. These benefits are incidental and essential to providing benefit to our beneficiaries. Fees We charge occasional fees because pursuing our purpose entails costs that are only partly met by grants and donations so we charge a reasonable amount towards costs where this would not present a barrier to participation to people on low income. We fundraise to subsidise costs, work with partners to share resources and seek to ensure costs of travel and participation are kept to a minimum by providing very local access and free or low cost art materials. Bursaries, concessions and the lending of free equipment are used by Trustees where they suspect cost may be a barrier to participation.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
Down Community Arts works in partnership with local voluntary organisations, local authorities and other public agencies to bring a varied programme of participatory arts activities to local communities and communities of interest. All our work uses the arts to help people to explore and express their own needs, views, experiences, personalities,
creativity and aspirations. We have a small staff to plan and deliver some of the programme and engage a range of local artists, giving us a wide skills base on which to draw. We use visual, digital, literary, performing, and other arts as best meet the need to engage with each specific community. Because of our community development purpose, we always work with groups of people, in contexts where art enables them to find common links to each other. These commonalities become the basis for community development and are picked up and built on by the community partner organisations with which we work.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science
Who the charity helps
- Carers
- Children (5-13 year olds)
- Ex-offenders and prisoners
- Learning disabilities
- Men
- Mental health
- Older people
- Parents
- Physical disabilities
- Specific areas of deprivation
- Women
- Youth (14-25 year olds)
How the charity works
- Arts
- Community development
- Cultural
- Rural development
- Urban development
