What Future Arts Centres does

Future Arts Centres is a UK-based not-for-profit membership organisation, structured as a company limited by guarantee (co. reg. 14051801) and registered in Stockton-on-Tees, that operates a national network of 185+ arts centres across the United Kingdom. It is co-directed by Annabel Turpin (Chief Executive of Storyhouse) and Gavin Barlow (Capital Project Director at The Albany), and delivers value through a portfolio of membership services, sector research, public programmes, and policy advocacy rather than through a technology platform. Its core offerings include a membership programme providing peer support, events, salary benchmarking and access to funded projects; a research programme producing the annual Sector Insight Report, pulse surveys and salary benchmarking; a landmark capital investment study produced with Arup; the Our Freedom: Then and Now public programme (with Libraries Connected and Open Eye Gallery) reaching over one million people; and a consultancy service line advising arts centres, local authorities and developers on cultural infrastructure.

The business model blends three revenue streams: recurring membership fees from UK arts centre leaders (pricing not publicly disclosed), paid consultancy and support engagements, and grant funding from Arts Council England and the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport for programme delivery. The go-to-market is community-led: members are recruited via the organisation's website using a SurveyMonkey intake form, and engagement is sustained through an online peer support forum hosted on Forumbee, national members meetings, biennial salary benchmarking, and inclusion in PR and advocacy activity. The organisation has no proprietary technology product, app, or AI capability; its primary assets are its network, its research outputs (including a 2025 Sector Insight Report showing arts centres generate £6 of income per £1 of public subsidy on £205.7m total sector income), and its relationships with national funders and policy makers.

Name

Future Arts Centres

Legal name

Future Arts Centres Ltd

Website

https://futureartscentres.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Future Arts Centres is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation that operates a national network of 185+ arts centres, delivering peer support, sector research, policy advocacy, and public programmes such as Our Freedom: Then and Now, and serving arts centre leaders alongside Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Cultural Sector Advocacy

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD)

Keywords

• Arts centre advocacy
• Membership organization
• Cultural venue support
• Sector research
• Arts funding advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockton-on-tees

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Arts centres pay membership fees to join Future Arts Centres and receive benefits including events access, peer support network, PR advocacy, salary benchmarking data, and access to funded projects.
2. Consultancy and paid support: Future Arts Centres offers consultancy services to arts centres and related organizations, generating revenue through paid support engagements.
3. Government and arts council funding: As a not-for-profit organization, Future Arts Centres receives funding from Arts Council England and UK Government through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to deliver programmes such as Our Freedom: Then and Now.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Future Arts Centres is a UK national membership network for 185+ arts centres. It delivers peer support, sector research and benchmarking, advocacy with funders and government, and national creative programmes such as Our Freedom: Then and Now, supported by Arts Council England and DCMS funding.

Product overview

Future Arts Centres is a membership organisation and national network of 185+ arts centres across the UK, not a software product company. The organisation offers a unified portfolio of services focused on advocacy, research, and programme delivery rather than a platform-based architecture. Core offerings include the Membership Programme providing peer support and resources, the Research Programme delivering sector insights and benchmarking data, and public-facing creative projects such as 'Our Freedom: Then and Now'. The consultancy and policy work on cultural infrastructure standards represents an additional service line for external stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Our Freedom: Then and Now: A UK-wide, locally-led arts and creative programme exploring what 'Our Freedom' means to local communities, delivered in partnership with Libraries Connected and Open Eye Gallery, supported by Arts Council England.

Products and services

• Membership Programme A membership programme for UK-based arts centres providing invitations to meetings and events, access to an online peer support network, inclusion in PR and advocacy activity, biennial salary benchmarking data, and opportunities to participate in funded projects.
• Research Programme Research programme publishing sector-shaping studies, annual Sector Insight Reports, salary benchmarking surveys, pulse surveys, and evaluations of capital investment needs for arts centres across the UK.
• Salary Benchmarking Biennial salary benchmarking providing arts centre leaders with data for staffing decisions, offered as a password-protected resource for members.
• Sector Insight Report Annual report analysing financial data from arts centres, demonstrating economic impact and resilience of the sector, including public subsidy leverage metrics.
• Pulse Surveys Rapid surveys on key topics shared with the network to equip leaders with up-to-date benchmarking and insightful comparisons.
• Evaluating Capital Investment Needs for Arts Centres in the UK Research report conducted with Arup evaluating the critical need to restore ageing cultural infrastructure and support creative communities, drawing on data from 90 arts centres with 9.4 million annual visitors.
• Cultural Infrastructure Standard Initiative Cross-sector workshop and insights report developed with TJ Culture to define what a cultural infrastructure standard for new towns should look like, addressing planning, funding, and embedding cultural provision from the start.
• Our Freedom: Then and Now UK-wide, locally-led arts and creative programme producing new works reflecting on what 'Our Freedom' means to local people and communities following the 80th anniversary of VE/VJ Day, involving 60 arts centres and libraries, with 10,000+ participants and over 1 million people engaged.
• Consultancy Services Paid consultancy and support services for arts centres and organisations seeking guidance on cultural infrastructure, programming, and sector development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Arts centres generate over £6 in income for every £1 of public funding received
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Libraries ConnectedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership delivering the Our Freedom: Then and Now programme. Libraries Connected is a charity supporting public libraries across the UK. The partnership connected 40 arts centres and 20 libraries in a UK-wide creative programme exploring what freedom means to communities.
• Open Eye GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership delivering the Our Freedom: Then and Now programme. Open Eye Gallery is a photography gallery in Liverpool. The partnership contributed to the national touring photography exhibition featuring images from all 60 projects in the programme.
• ArupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandmark collaboration with global sustainable development consultancy Arup to evaluate and highlight the critical need to restore ageing cultural infrastructure and support creative communities across the UK. Research involved 90 arts centres with 9.4 million combined annual visitors.
• University of ManchestersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with the University of Manchester, with Dave Moutrey developing a podcast series and book about arts centres' history, business models, what makes them work, and their role in artist development, audience development, and place-making.
• Goldsmiths UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership to deepen understanding of the arts centre sector through research collaborations with university researchers.
• University of LincolnsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership to deepen understanding of the arts centre sector through research collaborations with university researchers.
• TJ CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulture and place strategy consultancy led by Tim Jones, advising on cultural strategy, cultural infrastructure, and commercial and governance structures. Partnered with Future Arts Centres to convene cross-sector workshop at UKREiiF 2026 on cultural infrastructure standards for new towns.
• Arts Council EnglandcoreOthersNational funder and development agency for arts and culture in England. Supports Future Arts Centres through funding and is a key stakeholder in the organization's advocacy work. Arts Council England's new Strategic Framework identifies children and young people as a priority for investment.
• UK Government (DCMS)coreOthersFunding provided through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to support public programmes like Our Freedom: Then and Now.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Voluntary Arts: UK advocacy organization supporting participation in amateur and community arts. Directly comparable as a UK membership/advocacy body promoting cultural activity, working with national and local government on cultural policy.
• UK Theatre: UK membership body representing theatre operators and producers across the UK. Directly comparable as a national membership/advocacy organization serving performing arts venues, with a similar role in lobbying, networking and sector research.
• Independent Theatre Council: UK membership body for independent performing arts venues and producers. Highly comparable as a trade body providing employment advice, advocacy, and sector support to small and mid-sized UK arts venues.
• The Audience Agency: UK-wide agency focused on audience development and data insight for arts and cultural organizations. Comparable as a UK arts sector support organization producing research, benchmarking and advocacy for cultural venues.

Broad incumbents

• Locality: UK membership network supporting community-led organizations including community centres and cultural spaces. Comparable as a national membership network providing advocacy, peer support and research to community-rooted venues.
• Museums Association: UK membership body for museums and cultural institutions. Comparable as a long-established UK arts/cultural sector membership organization with advocacy, research and professional development functions.
• Heritage Lottery Fund / National Lottery Heritage Fund: Major UK funder of cultural infrastructure, including arts centres and museums. Comparable through its role in capital investment funding for the same member venues Future Arts Centres represents, and a likely partner in capital needs advocacy.

Emerging players

• Contemporary Visual Arts Network (CVAN): UK-wide network supporting contemporary visual arts organizations. Comparable in structure as a national network/membership body serving cultural venues and organizations, though focused specifically on visual arts rather than multi-art-form centres.
• One Dance UK: UK advocacy and support organization for the dance sector. Similar membership/trade body structure with research, advocacy, and development programmes for dance venues and artists.
• Cultural Learning Alliance: UK coalition promoting access to arts and cultural education for children and young people. Comparable in its policy advocacy, research publication and convening role across the UK cultural sector.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/future-arts-centres

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Future Arts Centres