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| Arts & Business Cymru | |
|---|---|
| Name | Arts & Business Cymru |
| Type | Charity |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Location | Cardiff, Wales |
| Region served | Wales |
| Focus | Arts patronage, cultural partnerships, corporate philanthropy |
Arts & Business Cymru is a Welsh charity fostering relationships between the cultural sector and private enterprise through advocacy, brokerage, and capacity building. It operates within a landscape shared by institutions such as the National Museum Cardiff, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, BBC Wales, Arts Council of Wales, and Cadw, and engages stakeholders from corporations like Principality Building Society and BBC. The organisation connects artists, companies, and public bodies to support projects that involve entities such as Welsh National Opera, National Theatre Wales, Hay Festival, Sain Records, and National Library of Wales.
Arts & Business Cymru was established amid a broader movement including Arts & Business (England), Arts & Business Northern Ireland, and international counterparts like Americans for the Arts and Business for the Arts in Canada. Early collaborations involved partnerships with Cardiff City Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Swansea University, and philanthropic foundations such as the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Over time it intersected with policy milestones influenced by figures at Welsh Government and initiatives like the Creative Wales strategy and the Cultural Industries Task Force that also engaged organisations such as Literature Wales and Film Cymru Wales.
The charity’s mission aligns with programmes seen in organisations such as Nesta, Clore Duffield Foundation, Prince’s Trust, and Art Council England to increase corporate support for cultural institutions including Wales Millennium Centre, Tramshed Tech, Chapter Arts Centre, Grand Theatre (Swansea), and Theatr Clwyd. Activities include matchmaking similar to practices at Arts Council England, commissioning advice akin to Glyndŵr University consultancy, and training modelled on schemes by Creative Skillset and ACE’s Cultural Enterprise Office. The organisation works to amplify benefits noted in collaborations with BBC Proms, RSC, and London Symphony Orchestra analogues for Welsh contexts.
Programmes include sponsorship brokering, mentoring, evaluation support and tax advice inspired by mechanisms used by Charity Commission for England and Wales, HM Revenue and Customs, and funding intermediaries like Heritage Lottery Fund. Services mirror those offered by Art Fund, Paul Hamlyn Foundation mentorship, and capacity initiatives similar to Clore Leadership Programme, supporting projects with partners such as Imperial War Museums, Tate Modern, V&A, and regionally with Ffilm Cymru Wales, Swansea Bay Film Festival, Green Man Festival, Latitude Festival, Cardiff International Film Festival, and Celtic Connections style engagements in Wales. It provides business development comparable to British Council export support and corporate social responsibility guidance of firms like PwC and KPMG.
Arts & Business Cymru builds consortia involving corporations like Principality Building Society, Co-operative Group, Admiral Group, BBC Wales Trust, Welsh Water, and law firms akin to Clifford Chance for pro bono support. It has collaborated with public funders such as Arts Council of Wales, Welsh Government, and trusts like Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, Wolfson Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, and Rothschild Foundation. Multilateral links reference models from European Cultural Foundation, Creative Europe, and philanthropic frameworks seen in Wellcome Trust partnerships. The charity also engages universities including Cardiff University, Bangor University, University of South Wales, and University of Wales Trinity Saint David for research and intern programmes.
Impact assessment draws on methodologies from National Assembly for Wales reports, evaluation frameworks used by Nesta, What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, and case-study practice from The Princes Trust. Measurable outcomes have been compared to results from projects involving Hay Festival corporate sponsorships, community outcomes similar to Arts & Health Alliance initiatives, and audience development such as Audience Agency metrics. Independent evaluations have employed techniques parallel to those of UK Research and Innovation and Social Investment Business to quantify cultural, social, and economic returns.
The organisation is governed by a board comprising trustees and advisors with backgrounds linked to institutions like Arts Council of Wales, Cardiff Business School, Institute of Fundraising, Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and corporate boards comparable to Sainsbury’s and Principality Building Society. Senior staff often collaborate with networks including Creative Wales, Cymru Federation of Small Businesses, and professional bodies such as Chartered Institute of Marketing, ACAS, and Federation of Small Businesses for governance, HR, and compliance practices.
Case studies reflect partnerships with cultural organisations such as Wales Millennium Centre, National Museum Cardiff, Welsh National Opera, National Theatre Wales, Chapter Arts Centre, Swansea Grand Theatre, Tramshed Tech, and festivals like Green Man Festival and Hay Festival. Corporate collaborations mirror sponsorship models seen with Barclays, HSBC, and Rolls-Royce in other UK arts contexts. Projects have included workplace creative programmes inspired by Arts on Prescription pilots, cross-sector collaborations with NHS Wales, and education outreach aligned to curricula of schools partnering with Qualifications Wales and Estyn inspection frameworks. These initiatives provide comparative examples to projects run by entities like Tŷ Pawb, Theatr Mwldan, Glyndŵr University, Ffolant, and The Red House Museum.
Category:Charities based in Wales Category:Arts organisations based in Wales