Gulbenkian is delighted to announce that it has been accepted onto Arts Council England’s national portfolio programme.

Arts Council England announced their three year funding strategy on Tuesday 1 July, unveiling Gulbenkian as one of only 30 new National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) outside London.

Gulbenkian’s status as a National Portfolio Organisation means in addition to the current support from the University of Kent, Gulbenkian will receive an Arts Council England grant of £220,000 for each of the next three financial years (starting April 2015).

In its response the Gulbenkian’s application, Arts Council noted that the organisation’s vision reflects Arts Council’s own priorities, specifically working with and for children and young people.

The Arts Council stated in their report:

‘The organisation under the current Director has become one of the leading deliverer of arts experiences for and by children and young people in Kent.

‘They continue to run the pilot for ART31, a project which empowers young people, they connect nationally and internationally to children’s theatre and festival programming and are proposing their own children’s theatre festival with strong management involvement by young people’.

Gulbenkian Director, Liz Moran comments:

‘All of us at Gulbenkian are so excited and over the moon. We can now begin to realise our ambitions to make Gulbenkian the pioneer and leader of work with, for and by children and young people. Thank you Arts Council!’