This week's M&G is now free to read.
The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) has supported more than 800 South African arts and culture projects to the value of more than R20-million since its inception in 1994.
ACT has consistently attracted and provided funding for the development and growth of arts, culture and heritage, through partnerships between the corporate, public and cultural sectors. ACT has also achieved a degree of operational sustainability, as part of its founding vision to become a perpetual fund for the development of the arts.
An external evaluation and subsequent surveys found that ACT has enabled numerous projects that might not have developed without its support, adding to the dynamism of the cultural sector. “ACT beneficiaries reported that a grant from the trust is seen as an endorsement of their work and, in many instances, was used to attract other funding,” says the chief executive of the trust, Pieter Jacobs. “In the case of some small initiatives, it allows them to develop to a point where they can network with other partners and create synergies that make them stronger and reduce their vulnerability.”
ACT has also assisted numerous organisations with acquiring and sorting out their financial statements, enabling them to access funding from other sources. Fledging organisations have grown; in some cases, from a one-person initiative to an organisation. ACT funds have supported training programmes and the transfer of skills to trainees. They have also enabled development of materials that benefit schools, curriculum developers, libraries and other organisations.
Trust funds have created employment opportunities or maintained the employment of practitioners. Many of the activities and organisations funded have had an outreach component, ensuring that arts and culture reached many communities and brought together disparate ideas and cultures.
The Board of Trustees has chartered a dynamic map to maintain and grow a healthy trust capital and to continue funding relevant, benchmark projects with tangible impact. For more information, visit www.act.org.za.