City Arts

What City Arts does

City Arts is a registered charity (Charity No. 1106088) and company limited by guarantee based in Nottingham, UK, founded in 1977 to break down barriers to accessing art, culture, and creativity for communities underrepresented in mainstream arts provision. The organisation operates a portfolio of community arts programmes including therapeutic art workshops (Get Creative, running since 2011), artist bursaries (RESIDENCE), career development courses for young creatives (ELEVATE), the annual Nottingham Puppet Festival (returning for its fourth edition in 2026), Hoopla! Mini-Festivals for ages 0-4, the Window Gallery street-facing exhibition space, Community Conversations podcast, and the Building an LGBTQIA+ Friendly Nottingham community engagement project. Its beneficiary base spans marginalised artists, learning-disabled adults, families with young children, LGBTQIA+ communities, and residents of deprived neighbourhoods across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Approximately six core staff manage a network of freelance artists (72 engaged in FY2024-25, up from 43 the prior year) and produce measurable outcomes including 84 workshops, 2,543 workshop attendances, 61,000 Window Gallery audiences, and 12,865 Puppet Festival attendees on a single city centre day.

City Arts has no proprietary technology systems; its core capability is community-led programming, co-designed with community steering groups and delivered through partnerships with libraries, schools, community centres, and cultural venues including Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall, Lakeside Arts, New Art Exchange, and Nottingham City Libraries. The only disclosed technology integration is Mailchimp for email marketing. Impact metrics demonstrate strong reach into previously excluded audiences: 43% of audience members had not attended an arts event in the prior year, 23% of employed artists were D/deaf or disabled, and 1 in 6 Hoopla! participants lived in England's most deprived communities.

The organisation's revenue model relies entirely on grant funding and donations. Primary funding sources include Arts Council England (National Lottery proceeds), the Foyle Foundation, Erasmus+ (European Union) for international collaborations, Nottingham City Council, and individual donations via a Friends Scheme. All programmes are provided free of charge to participants. City Arts is governed as a company limited by guarantee with no external investors or equity holders. The organisation recently completed a physical relocation from its 12-year home at 11-13 Hockley to BACKLIT at Alfred House on Ashley Street, with the lease at the previous location ending 2 March 2026.

Name

City Arts

Legal name

City Arts (Nottingham) Ltd

Website

https://city-arts.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

City Arts is a Nottingham-based registered charity founded in 1977 that delivers free community arts programmes, including festivals, artist bursaries, workshops, and exhibitions, to underrepresented communities across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Programming

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Community arts programs
• Artist bursaries
• Arts festivals
• Creative workshops
• Community engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Individual donations from supporters through the Friends Scheme and general donation appeals. City Arts solicits donations to support ongoing programs and creative projects.
2. Arts Council England Funding: Major grant funding from Arts Council England, funded by National Lottery, supporting core programs and events such as Nottingham Puppet Festival.
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable trusts including Foyle Foundation for specific projects such as the RESIDENCE artist bursary program.
4. Erasmus+ International Funding: European Union funding through Erasmus+ programme supporting international collaborations such as the Artployment project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

City Arts is a charitable arts organisation that delivers free community arts programmes in Nottingham, including therapeutic art workshops, artist bursaries, festivals, podcast content, and exhibition platforms targeting underrepresented communities and marginalised artists. The organisation does not sell products but provides people-driven creative services funded by grants and donations.

Product overview

City Arts (Nottingham) is an arts charity that operates a portfolio of community arts programmes rather than a technology product. Its core offerings include: Get Creative (weekly therapeutic art workshops for adults with learning disabilities); Community Conversations (podcast); RESIDENCE (artist bursaries for marginalised artists); ELEVATE (career development courses for 18-30 year olds); Nottingham Puppet Festival (annual city-wide puppetry festival); Hoopla! Mini-Festivals (for ages 0-4); Artployment (international entrepreneurship toolkit); The Window Gallery (street-facing exhibition space); and Building an LGBTQIA+ Friendly Nottingham (community engagement project). These programmes work together to break down barriers to accessing creativity for communities overlooked by the arts sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Get Creative Weekly therapeutic art workshops for learning-disabled adults who have been allocated Personal Budgets, providing a pop-up studio space. City Arts' longest running project, launched November 2011.
• Nottingham Puppet Festival

Quantifiable outcome

• 43% of audience members had not been to an arts event in the last year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• University of NottinghammajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaborates through Institute of Policy and Engagement's Civic Impact Champion Programme supporting LGBTQIA+ Friendly Nottingham project. Also partner on The Air We Breathe exhibition with City as Lab initiative.
• Nottingham Poetry FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner on Building an LGBTQIA+ Friendly Nottingham project, collaborating on zine production and distribution during the festival.
• Nottinghamshire's Rainbow HeritagemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner on LGBTQIA+ community engagement project, contributing archival knowledge and community connections.
• Lakeside ArtsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner on The Air We Breathe exhibition alongside University of Nottingham and City Arts, contributing to collaborative environmental art project.
• Broadway's Near NowmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Commissioned The Weather Station project through Near Now studio, connecting City Arts with technology-focused artists and creative community spaces.
• Theatre Royal & Royal Concert HallcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-producer of Nottingham Puppet Festival alongside City Arts. Theatre Royal handles main stage productions while City Arts leads community engagement, artist development, and city centre programming.
• Nottingham City LibrariesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner for community tours bringing puppet shows to libraries across Nottingham neighborhoods including Bilborough, Bulwell, Wollaton, Strelley, The Dales, The Meadows, Hyson Green, Clifton and St Anns.
• Cantrell Primary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Participated in community puppet making commission, working with pupils to design and create magpie puppets for Nottingham Puppet Festival.
• Hubb Neighbourhood CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Community group involved in selecting artist and concept for puppet commission as part of Nottingham Puppet Festival.
• New Art ExchangemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner providing professional networks and opportunities for RESIDENCE bursary recipients from Black, South Asian, East Asian and Mixed Ethnic backgrounds through Transform Festival.
• InterStep (Denmark)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021International partner in Erasmus+-funded Artployment project. Collaborated on toolkit development and training for youth workers supporting young creatives.
• Misión Rural (Colombia)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021International partner in Artployment project, contributing to development of inclusive toolkit across different cultural contexts.
• Asociación Jóvenes para HondurasmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021International partner in Artployment project, working to promote entrepreneurship to young people entering the arts across Central America.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heart of Glass: St Helens-based community arts charity producing participatory projects with underrepresented groups. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and reliance on Arts Council England and trust funding.
• Emergency Exit Arts: London-based participatory arts charity working with communities on festivals, processions, and outdoor events. Directly comparable as a small charity producing inclusive outdoor and festival programming similar to Nottingham Puppet Festival.
• The Albany: Community arts hub in southeast London running participatory programmes, festivals, and creative learning for local residents. Comparable model of community-led programming delivered through a fixed venue with multiple partner relationships.
• Create London: East London charity producing collaborative art projects with communities underserved by mainstream cultural infrastructure. Highly comparable focus on placemaking, community co-design, and grant-funded delivery.
• Artsadmin: London charity supporting independent artists and producers to make work with communities. Comparable in providing wraparound support (funding advice, mentorship, platforms) to artists from underrepresented backgrounds, similar to City Arts' RESIDENCE programme.
• Apples and Snakes: England's leading spoken word poetry organisation, producing events and development programmes for diverse artists and audiences. Comparable as a small charity delivering touring programmes, artist development, and educational workshops.
• Open Theatre: West Midlands-based theatre company creating work with learning-disabled artists. Directly comparable to City Arts' Get Creative workshops in providing long-running creative programmes for learning-disabled adults.
• New Art Exchange: Nottingham-based contemporary art gallery and resource centre focused on culturally diverse artists. An actual City Arts partner on Transform Festival; highly comparable focus on Black, South Asian, East Asian, and Mixed Ethnic artists in the same city.
• Bluecoat: Liverpool-based arts centre combining galleries, performance, and participatory community programmes. Comparable as a multi-art-form community-led venue operating with Arts Council England NPO funding and trust grants.

Broad incumbents

• Battersea Arts Centre: Larger London community arts venue running participatory programmes, scratch performances, and co-productions. Comparable mission around community-led creativity but at significantly greater scale and venue-based scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CityArtsNotts
• Facebookfacebook.com/CityArts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-arts-nottingham
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityartsnotts
• Xx.com/CityArtsNotts

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City Arts