Earlier this year, when initial details were published regarding the 2028-33 National Portfolio Investment Programme, we shared a blog outlining the overall framework. With the full 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 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:
If you or anyone on your team needs access support to complete the application, the Arts Council has recommended that you get in touch as early as possible, as requests made after 30 November 2026 may not be accommodated.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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:
Capital expenditure questions will be asked in the case of any requests of £1 million or more per year.
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 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.
Key tips from the guidance are as follows:
All applicants receive scores and comments alongside their decisions in July 2027.
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 and nearly 50 ready-made sales reports to demonstrate delivery over the last three years. Calculate new visitor percentages, track returning customers, gain insights into revenue trends and sources, and run crossover reports to show audience development.
Reaching locations and groups:
Map geographic engagement via postcode analysis and customer location reporting by region, town and postcode to evidence delivery in Culture Priority Places. Use customer tags to identify specific bookers or attendees or event categories to segment revenue according to event type.
Financial viability and governance:
Track financial indicators by reporting on revenue targets and monitoring fundraising through donations and Gift Aid reporting.
Once you're funded.
In order to produce the quarterly reports required by ACE, Ticketsolve integrates 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.
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.