Making cultural venues accessible to new generations
Start is our flagship project. Since 2006, it has awarded grants of over £1.25m to arts organisations around the UK, enabling them to build strong relationships with their local schools.
How it works
Start provides support to cultural venues (such as theatres, galleries and concert halls) for up to three years. This enables them to build lasting relationships with young people in their local area – unlocking the arts for a new generation.
Access and participation
The young people involved in Start don’t just get to visit their partner venue at least twice each year, they also have the chance to go behind the scenes to meet artists, directors, actors, dancers and choreographers.
All Start projects include an opportunity for the participants to take part in workshops and explore different art forms before they become the artists themselves, creating their own art works, plays or dance pieces.
Reach and impact
During the 2010/2011 academic year, our Start Programme reached over 15,500 children and we worked with 38 arts organisations around the UK. The young people involved in Start get to know their local cultural venues, becoming confident in using these spaces and becoming increasingly confident and creative in their own right.
The children who take part are drawn from schools in areas of rural and economic deprivation and come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some have been excluded from school while others have behavioural and learning difficulties.
The Start programme is now closed for applications and will re-open in December 2012
Visit our Get Involved page for more information on how to apply.