Arts Council England, Prosper business support programme

Arts Council England has launched a new funded business support programme for the arts, museums and libraries.

Prosper offers the opportunity for arts and cultural organisations, companies or individual entrepreneurs in England to participate in nine months of free, dynamic and impactful business support activities to improve resilience, commercial capacity and investment readiness.

The programme will deliver 1-to-1 business advice, masterclasses, workshops, webinars and meetups.

To apply you'll need to complete an online application form and a diagnostic report. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 31st May 2017.

The aims for the programme are to:
• provide business development advice and investment readiness support to arts organisations, museums, libraries and creative and cultural enterprises in England;
• strengthen business development knowledge, commercial skills, and to drive growth, income diversification and resilience;
• undertake research and evaluation of the current provision of business support and development needs of the sector in England and Scotland;
• gather information about business support opportunities and share learning.

Who it is for?
You are eligible to apply if you are an individual (entrepreneur) or organisation operating in one of these sectors:
• Architecture
• Crafts
• Design
• Digital media and the web
• Fashion and costume
• Festivals and events
• Film, television and radio
• Gaming and app development
• Heritage
• Libraries
• Museums
• Music
• Performing arts
• Publishing and Literature
• Visual arts and photography

All sizes and types of organisation can apply, including:
• Charities
• Collectives
• Community Interest Companies
• Limited companies (by shares or by guarantee)
• Limited partnerships
• Social enterprises
• Sole traders

Application period 27 March - 31 May 2017

For more information visit http://www.creativeunited.org.uk/programme/prosper