Achates Philanthropy Prize Announced For 2022

The Achates Philanthropy Prize, the only annual prize that celebrates first-time supporters of culture in the UK, returns for its sixth edition in 2022 with a host of new judges:

Sufina Ahmad, Director of John Ellerman Foundation

Suzanne Alleyne, Cultural Thinker working at the intersection of academic research, business and culture

Dee Conaghan, Artistic Director of Stage Beyond Theatre Company

Niks Delanancy, Founder of the digital platform, Black Artist Database (B.A.D)

Liam Evans-Ford, Executive Director at Theatr Clwyd

Abid Hussain, Director of Diversity for Arts Council England

Leanne Jones, Co-Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director of 20 Stories High

Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health for Lancashire County Council

Sarah Marshall, Founder, CEO and Artistic Director of The People's Orchestra

Jane Orton, retired psychotherapist and Frontline19 counsellor

Nick Reed, CEO of B:Music - Chair of the Individual Philanthropy Award

Steven Roth, Executive Director of Scottish Ballet

Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director of Graeae

Jameel Shariff, Member of We Don't Settle collective, and Future Presenter Award winner

Abdul Shayek, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Tara Theatre

Chris Sonnex, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Cardboard Citizens

Sydney Thornbury, CEO of The Art House in Wakefield

Kate Varah, Executive Director of The National Theatre - Chair of the Corporate Award

Henna Zamurd-Butt, Artistic Director of PRAXIS

The Achates Philanthropy Prize celebrates the idea that culture belongs to and is the responsibility of us all, by sharing the inspiring stories of first-time supporters. Launched in 2016 and an initiative of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation, formerly the Achates Philanthropy Foundation, the Prize asks cultural organisations across all artforms to nominate an individual, trust or company who has supported them for the first time, at all levels of support, within the last 12 months.

The Prize offers a platform to celebrate and share these inspiring stories from an emerging generation of first-time philanthropists across the UK to build greater awareness of the idea that anyone can be a cultural philanthropist and the impact we can all make as a result.

New judges for 2022 will join representatives from the Prize sponsors, Achates, together with Trustees of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation to award a total fund of £10,000, split between the Individual Philanthropy Award and the Corporate Award. In addition, eight bursaries will be awarded, donated by Achates, offering arts organisations a bespoke day-long masterclass to support the development of their fundraising or strategy.

Both Awards will be presented at a special ceremony at Birmingham Symphony Hall on Wednesday 9th November which will also be live-streamed and captioned by Stagetext. The evening will feature a world premiere performance, by Birmingham-based, We Don't Settle (formerly Beatfreeks), commissioned by the Foundation, and the Awards will be presented by philanthropist and long-standing Birmingham Symphony Hall donor, Peter How.

Ahead of the Awards ceremony, this October will see the launch of the Culture is Creating campaign, a platform for all culture organisations to promote the importance and impact of mass giving through a sector-wide campaign that celebrates the range of ways in which culture creates impact. Organisations from across the UK will be invited to participate in a public-facing campaign about the eight types of value culture is creating every day, in order to inspire the philanthropists of tomorrow by evidencing the impact of small gifts.

Cultural Philanthropy Foundation Chair, Caroline McCormick, said: "We are delighted to be able to announce today the return of the Achates Philanthropy Prize and our forthcoming campaign; cultural organisations have not only experienced more than two years of unrelenting pressure through the pandemic, they are now facing continued uncertainty as Covid recovery funds have closed. It is more critical than ever that we come together to showcase and celebrate the difference that donors of all scales can make through the Prize and raise awareness of the breadth of impact we bring as a sector, through our forthcoming campaign, 'Culture is Creating'".

The Individual Philanthropy Award was created to celebrate a new generation of cultural philanthropists in the UK, and to inspire the next. Organisations across all art forms are invited to nominate an outstanding individual or trust who has given philanthropically towards their organisation for the first time within the last 12 months, at all levels of giving. The award is a sculpture by renowned British artist, Peter Brooke-Ball MRBS. The winning philanthropist will become custodian of the sculpture for one year, and their cultural organisation will receive a £5,000 donation from Achates.

The 2022 Individual Philanthropy Award is chaired by Nick Reed, CEO of B:Music, and the judging panel is: Suzanne Alleyne, Cultural Thinker working at the intersection of academic research, business and culture; Alex Cheales, solicitor, former immigration judge and Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation; Josh Cockcroft, producer and change maker for the creative and non-profit sector, and Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation; Dee Conaghan, Artistic Director of Stage Beyond Theatre Company; Niks Delanancy, Founder of the digital platform, Black Artist Database (B.A.D); Abid Hussain, Director of Diversity for Arts Council England; Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health for Lancashire County Council; Sarah Marshall, Founder, CEO and Artistic Director of The People's Orchestra; Steven Roth, Executive Director of Scottish Ballet; Jameel Shariff, Member of We Don't Settle collective, and winner of the Future Presenter Award at the Edinburgh TV Festival New Voice Awards; Abdul Shayek, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Tara Theatre; and Bill Swainson, publisher, literary consultant and Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation.

The Corporate Award was created at the suggestion of 2016 winner, Nigel Farnall, in response to the rapid decline in corporate support for culture in the UK. Cultural charities across all art forms are invited to nominate an outstanding company of any size, which has supported their organisation for the first time within the last 12 months, at all levels of giving. The award is a sculpture by renowned British artist, Peter Brooke-Ball MRBS. The winning company will become custodian of the sculpture for one year, and their cultural organisation will receive a £5,000 donation from Achates.

The 2022 Corporate Award is chaired by Kate Varah, Executive Director of The National Theatre, and the judging panel is: Sufina Ahmad, Director of John Ellerman Foundation; Liam Evans-Ford, Executive Director at Theatr Clwyd; Leanne Jones, Co-Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director of 20 Stories High; Caroline McCormick, Director of Achates and Chair of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation; Jane Orton, retired psychotherapist and Frontline19 counsellor; Paul Owens, co-founder of BOP and Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation; Sarah Purisa Maguire, freelance producer and Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation; Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director of Graeae; Chris Sonnex, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Cardboard Citizens; Matthew Swann, Director of Recruitment and Organisational Change for Achates; Sydney Thornbury, CEO of The Art House in Wakefield; and Henna Zamurd-Butt, Artistic Director of PRAXIS.

The 2022 Call for Entries opens on Wednesday 29 June at 10am and will close on Monday 12 September at 5pm.

For more information and to find out how to apply, visit: www.culturalphilanthropyfoundation.co.uk/achates-philanthropy-prize or follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @achatesprize

To post a comment, you must register and login.