In 2017, Future Arts Centres was awarded £90k from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to support the founding partners to explore new models of partnership. The programme aimed to accelerate growth and innovation around developing new partnerships, by providing resource to enable CEOs to research and explore opportunities. This was in direct response to a recognition that time and access to expertise were the key barriers in this area of development.

The programme includes four strands of activity, exploring partnerships around:

• Higher education
• Housing associations
• Older people
• Fundraising

Each area is led by a development group of FAC founding partners, who will share learning with the wider membership at the end of the programme. Outcomes to date include new relationships between arts centres and higher education institutions, between arts centres and housing associations and an active programme of joint sponsorship proposals.