---
title: "National Portfolio Investment Programme 2028-33 guidance: dates, criteria and what to prepare"
description: The full Applicant Guidance for the 2028-33 NPIP is now live. Here's what you need to know, including how applications will be assessed and how to start pulling your evidence together.
image: https://blog.ticketsolve.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images%202026%20(43).png
---

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- National Portfolio Investment Programme 2028-33 guidance: dates, criteria and what to prepare

 Published September 23, 2026

# National Portfolio Investment Programme 2028-33 guidance: dates, criteria and what to prepare

The full Applicant Guidance for the 2028-33 NPIP is now live. Here's what you need to know, including how applications will be assessed and how to start pulling your evidence together.

![Paul Fadden](https://blog.ticketsolve.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Paul2.png?width=32&height=32&name=Paul2.png) [Paul Fadden](https://blog.ticketsolve.com/author/paul-fadden) 

4 Minutes

![National Portfolio Investment Programme 2028-33 guidance: dates, criteria and what to prepare](https://blog.ticketsolve.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images%202026%20(43).png)

Contents

Earlier this year, when initial details were published regarding the 2028-33 National Portfolio Investment Programme, [we shared a blog](https://blog.ticketsolve.com/national-portfolio-investment-programme-2028-33-what-we-know-so-far) outlining the overall framework. With the full [Applicant Guidance](https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/NationalPortfolio28/national-portfolio-investment-programme-2028-33-applicant-guidance) now available, we’re able to detail everything you need to know before applying: confirmed dates, assessment criteria, funding benchmark figures and practical guidance on using box office data to evidence your bid.

## The full application timeline

 

The Arts Council has confirmed the official application timeline. The portal opens on 20 October and closes on 15 December, giving you an eight-week window to submit - longer than originally suggested. The full timeline for applications is as follows:

 

- **20 October 2026:** the application portal opens
- **15 December 2026:** application deadline
- **January to June 2027:** assessment and evaluation
- **July 2027:** decisions announced
- **July 2027 to February 2028:** funding agreement negotiation
- **1 April 2028:** the 2028-33 funding period begins

If you or anyone on your team needs access support to complete the application, the Arts Council has recommended that you [get in touch](https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/NationalPortfolio28/national-portfolio-support-applicants) as early as possible, as requests made after 30 November 2026 may not be accommodated.

## The programme priorities

 

The purpose of the National Portfolio is to support 'a strong, diverse and resilient cultural sector that delivers excellent work for a wide range of people across more of England'. It’s shaped by the Strategic Framework's three objectives: support excellence, deliver for everybody and reach everywhere.

With that in mind, there are two priorities in terms of delivery for this round:

 

- **More opportunities in more places:** Increasing investment and delivery in areas with historically lower engagement, particularly Culture Priority Places, with a focus on children and young people
- **More representative governance and leadership:** Directing funding to organisations whose governance and leadership are more representative in terms of disability, ethnicity and lower socio-economic background

Not every organisation will contribute to both, and the Arts Council will judge the Portfolio's impact as a whole.

​Excellence is also a fundamental threshold requirement, and this is judged across five areas: creative and cultural work; audience experience; overall contribution; excellence across practice; and how you learn and develop.

## Scoring criteria

 

This is the detail that most applicants have been waiting for. Eligible applications will be assessed by panels composed of three Arts Council staff against four criteria:

 

- **Previous work and development:** whether you've delivered excellent work over the last three years, and can show how you've learned, adapted and improved.
- **Proposed work and contribution:** whether your plan for 2028-33 is strong and credible, creates meaningful benefits and would help your organisation develop.
- **Governance and management:** whether you're governed and led effectively, and understand and manage your key risks.
- **Financial viability:** whether there's confidence in both your current financial position and your future planning.

Currently funded organisations asking for more than their planning figure will also be assessed on whether there's a strong case for that additional investment.

 

![Blog Images 2026 (44)](https://blog.ticketsolve.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Images%202026%20(44).png?width=1600&height=900&name=Blog%20Images%202026%20(44).png)

## Guides for funding requests

 

Applicants can request a minimum of £50,000 per year. There’s no maximum limit to requests and organisations can request the same annual figure across all five years. The Arts Council may offer less than requested. Current NPOs will receive a planning figure, and their core proposals must be viable within that figure in mind. Requests for additional funding will sit in a separate section and are unlikely to be granted for most.

 

The Arts Council published typical award ranges as follows:

 

- **Turnover under £500k:** Typical award £100k–£195k, median award £150k
- **Turnover £500k to £1m:** Typical award £123k–£300k, median £216k
- **Turnover £1m to £5m:** Typical award £190k–£612k, median £356k
- **Turnover above £5m:** Typical award £467k–£1.88m, median £1.14m

Capital expenditure questions will be asked in the case of any requests of £1 million or more per year.

## External voices will determine the final Portfolio

 

For the first time, decisions will draw on voices from beyond the Arts Council. A community voice survey will gather the views of over 20,000 people across England, Mayoral Strategic Authorities will share their area priorities and 32 pilot Regional Boards will bring a local perspective on issues such as growth, health and skills.

 

Portfolio building will follow assessment, and through this, applications will be weighed together to guarantee a balanced mix of places, artforms and leadership. The National Council will make decisions relating to requests over £2 million per year and touring or sector support, with Area Councils deciding the rest.

 

We also mentioned [in our initial blog](https://blog.ticketsolve.com/national-portfolio-investment-programme-2028-33-what-we-know-so-far) that this will be a competitive programme. The Arts Council expects more strong applications than it can fund, and difficult decisions about who is funded and at what level.

## You can start now

Key tips from the guidance are as follows:

 

- Download [the offline application form](https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/2026-09/NPIP%202028-33%20Application%20Form%20%28WORD%20VERSION%29.docx) from the Applicant Hub to begin to draft answers.
- Verify user accounts, permissions and applicant profiles on the [grants portal](https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/NationalPortfolio28/national-portfolio-system-guidance)
- Participate in [webinars](https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/NationalPortfolio28/national-portfolio-webinars) being held across October and November
- Write clearly and concisely without padding responses - the character limit is a maximum, not a target
- Support claims with data and use plain language
- Understand the [AI guidelines](https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ai-arts-council-england-public-position-statement-writing-and-assessment-funding-applications): you may use generative AI but remain responsible for accuracy. The Arts Council does not use AI to evaluate applications

All applicants receive scores and comments alongside their decisions in July 2027.

## ![Blog Images 2026 (45)](https://blog.ticketsolve.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Images%202026%20(45).png?width=1600&height=900&name=Blog%20Images%202026%20(45).png)

## How Ticketsolve can help

 

A strong application must provide concrete evidence of your track record, reach and financial management. For venues on Ticketsolve, a lot of that evidence already sits in your reports and dashboards ready to pull when you need it:

 

**Previous work and learning:**

Use [Your Reports](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/209690343-How-to-use-Your-Reports) and [nearly 50 ready-made sales reports](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5309838174868-Sales-Reports-Examples) to demonstrate delivery over the last three years. Calculate [new visitor percentages](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/16487505720212-How-to-find-the-percentage-of-first-time-visitors-to-an-event), track[returning customers](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020057112-Creating-a-report-to-find-out-which-customer-for-a-show-are-returning-customers), [gain insights into revenue trends and sources](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/50141035537940-Introducing-the-Sales-Dashboard-2-0), and run [crossover reports](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/205582555-How-to-build-a-crossover-report) to show audience development.

 

**Reaching locations and groups:**

Map geographic engagement via [postcode analysis](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204829189-How-to-run-a-postcode-analysis-report) and [customer location reporting by region, town and postcode](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/18790425526036-Reporting-on-customer-locations) to evidence delivery in Culture Priority Places. Use [customer tags to identify specific bookers or attendees](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/17871716072084-Managing-Tags-in-Ticketsolve) or [event categories to segment revenue according to event type](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/208164286-Event-categories).

 

**Financial viability and governance:**

Track financial indicators by [reporting on revenue targets](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/21904709785108-Setting-and-reporting-on-revenue-targets) and monitoring fundraising through [donations and Gift Aid reporting](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/40510991015316-How-To-Report-on-Donations-and-Gift-Aid).

 

**Once you're funded.**

In order to produce the quarterly reports required by ACE, Ticketsolve [integrates with Illuminate](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/19529212788628-How-to-integrate-your-Ticketsolve-account-with-Illuminate).

 

If you'd like a hand pulling any of this together, our on-demand Academies, Help Centre and support team are there to help.

## What comes next

 

With the portal opening on 20 October 2026 and closing on 15 December 2026, make full use of the coming weeks. Download the offline form from the Applicant Hub, sign up for Arts Council webinars, and start compiling your data.

 

If you would like to see how Ticketsolve reporting works or need help preparing your data, [get in touch with our team today](https://ticketsolve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new).

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