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Our Approach

Expertise

Our arts and culture investments to date have allowed us to develop sound understanding of the needs and complexities of running a creative organisation. From refurbishments to developing new business ideas, working capital to purchase capital, and across all forms of artistic, cultural and heritage activity, the Arts & Culture Finance team is passionate about using innovative finance to help creative entrepreneurs.

Sector Insight

We also draw on insights from our colleagues within Nesta’s Creative Economy Research, Analysis and Policy and Programmes teams to keep abreast of the latest developments in creative economy policy as well as innovations across funding and business models, use of digital technology, audiences and artistic creation in the arts and culture sector. We use this to inform and improve our investment decisions, so we can best support the organisations we work with.

Partnership

We work in partnership with our investors to bring together public funders, philanthropic organisations and other private investors to support arts and cultural organisations and to leverage and attract new finance to the arts and culture sector.

We build strong, personal relationships with the organisations we invest in and see our portfolio as our partners. We work closely with potential investees throughout the investment process and support them when they face barriers to securing finance.

Flexibility

We aim to provide flexible finance that allows arts and cultural organisations greater control over their finances. Our team takes a bespoke approach to structuring investments, helping applicants to work out what product and repayment structure are best suited to their circumstances. This includes the possibility of arranging capital repayment holidays and bullet repayment structures.

Transparency

We want to promote a culture of transparency in impact investment to counter the confusion and misunderstanding about what social finance is and how it works. We also want to encourage a wider debate among arts and cultural organisations to talk openly about their social mission and outcomes they aspire to achieve. We think the best way to do this is by example so we try to be as transparent as we can in our own work.