*Closes 15th June*

Arts Council England are seeking to appoint new members to Arts Council England’s National Council, their non-executive board.
  • On Monday, 9 June at 10:30 – 11:15am, join Arts Council England Chair Sir Nicholas Serota for an online information session about the roles sign up here: https://forms.gle/hWBLDE1VXhTVdBuR7

Arts Council England (ACE) champion creativity and culture across the country, develop talent in every corner of the nation, and support artists, practitioners and cultural organisations to work in partnership and to be world-leading in their fields. ACE’s Strategy for 2020-30, Let’s Create, is an invitation to those who share ACE’s beliefs to come together and create new opportunities for every person in England to become creative and enjoy brilliant culture.

ACE believe creativity and culture not only inspire us, but they bring us together and teach us about ourselves and the world around us, helping us feel proud of the place we live in. In short, they make life better.

ACE support combined arts, dance, libraries, literature, museums, music, theatre, and visual art. Through a range of funds, ACE provide both short- and long-term investment for individual artists and arts projects, arts organisations, museums, galleries, and libraries.

From 2023-26 ACE will invest:

  • £458.5 million per year in the National Portfolio – this includes National Portfolio Organisations, Investment Principles Support Organisations, Transfer Organisations and Creative People and Places organisations.

  • £116.8 million of National Lottery funding per year in Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants, the open-access funding programme.

  • £14.4 million of National Lottery funding per year in Developing Your Creative Practice, the programme to support individuals who are cultural and creative practitioners and want to take time to focus on their creative development.

  • £50 million per year in the Arts Council Development Funds which will focus on a variety of areas such as: capital investment programme, cultural education, digital culture network, museum development, arts council collection management, UK City of Culture and activities listed within out Delivery Plan.

National Council Members – Arts Council England

Number of vacancies3

Time commitment20 day(s) per annum

Length of term3 or 4 years

Appointment description

As a member of National Council, the successful candidates will become trustees of Arts Council England, and alongside other members of National Council will be expected to:
  • Uphold the Arts Council’s mission and objectives.
  • Set the strategic direction of the organisation and make key investment and policy decisions.
  • Ensure that the Arts Council has effective management arrangements and is managing its resources responsibly.
  • Individual council members may be asked to advocate for the cultural sector and represent the work of the Arts Council.
  • From time-to-time council members may be asked to lead or assist with specific aspects of policy development.
  • Council members are expected to remain up to date with developments in the sector including opportunities, challenges and risks, drawing the Chair of the Arts Council and its senior executives’ attention to the issues as appropriate.
National Council members are expected to attend at least six meetings each year. Council members may also be asked to participate in a number of committee or panel meetings each year. National Council meetings generally take place during the working day in Birmingham.
Council members may also be invited to join or Chair a committee which reports to National Council, such as our Performance and Audit Committee, Race Advisory Committee or Disability Advisory Committee.

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on ‘apply for this role’ and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

  • equality information
  • information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
  • a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • a supporting statement
  • a short professional biography (150 words)

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

Candidates for the Midlands Area Chair of ACE should apply through the advert titled “Midlands Area Chair“; all candidates applying for Midlands Area Chair will also be considered for the “general” National Council Member roles – there is no need to duplicate your application.

Candidates that do not wish to be considered for the Midlands Area Chair role should apply through this advert.