How Culture Central’s ‘A Creative West Midlands’ can support your NPO application
Join Cara Pickering and Anthony Ruck for our next WMCRU session where we’ll be taking a place-based approach to using data to support your NPO application through the research and data from A Creative West Midlands.
A Creative West Midlands is a data-led initiative developed to better understand the creative engagement of people living in the geographic West Midlands region, and provides powerful tools to the creative and cultural sectors - as well as to Local Authorities and policy makers - to increase creative opportunities for residents across the region.
During this interactive session we’ll explore how A Creative West Midlands can respond to the specific NPO application question:
Who is your proposed delivery for and what opportunities will it create?
Tell us in outline:
the people, communities, practitioners or organisations you intend to reach, support or work with
how you intend to engage them
the opportunities, experiences or benefits your work would provide, including, where relevant, opportunities for children and young people and for people who have had more limited access to publicly funded culture and fewer chances to develop their creative potential.
Who should attend:
Arts and cultural organisations, freelancers, consultants, senior leaders, producers, and development staff preparing for future Arts Council England funding opportunities, including National Portfolio Organisation applications.
Participants will:
Gain an understanding of the key findings from A Creative West Midlands.
Explore how research evidence can support NPO application development.
Learn how to connect regional insights with organisational strategy and artistic ambitions.
Consider approaches to demonstrating need, impact, relevance, and public value.
Identify practical ways to embed evidence into funding bids and business planning.
Cara Pickering is Programmes Developer & Delivery Lead at Culture Central, and Dr Anthony Ruck is Chief Strategy Officer at Culture Central. Read their profiles here.
These meetings take place online at 9.30-10.30am on the second Tuesday of every month. If you would like to join the learning sessions, please sign up using the form linked below or email info@culturecentral.co.uk.
We aim to facilitate and accommodate all accessibility needs. Please do let us know below if you have any specific questions, needs or comments and we will do our best to meet them.
About WMCRU
Set up during COVID, our regular West Midlands Culture Response Unit (WMCRU) meetings were a vital lifeline for the sector in connecting, sharing and getting practical information and advice. WMCRU has continued to be a useful space for organisations and individuals that Culture Central continues to support as a collective and collaborative space for all those that are interested in the cultural ecology of the region. In 2026-7, WMCRU meetings will explore key strategic challenges and opportunities that affect the sector and the region.