Boost for Dublin Cultural Groups with Appointment of Four Fundraising Fellows
Anna McCarthy, Helium Arts, Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, Fishamble: The New Play Company, Muriel Foxton, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios and Paula Weir, Dublin Theatre Festival at City Hall for the announcement of the Four Fellows who have been recruited to participate in the Fundraising Fellowship, Dublin programme run by Business to Arts in partnership with Dublin’s Culture Connects.
Strategic planning and fundraising capacity is to be increased in a number of city cultural institutions through the appointment of four new Fundraising Fellows, who were officially announced yesterday. As part of the 24-month Fundraising Fellowship Dublin programme, the successful applicants will each work in a fundraising or marketing & fundraising role with one of four participating cultural institutions. The programme, which is a joint programme created by Business to Arts and Dublin City Council’s Dublin’s Culture Connects initiative, aims to develop the pool of fundraising expertise in Dublin cultural organisations.
The appointments are as follows:
- Temple Bar Gallery + Studios:Muriel Foxton, Fundraising & Marketing Executive
- Helium Arts:Anna McCarthy, Fundraising Executive
- Fishamble: The New Play Company: Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, Fundraising & Marketing Executive
- Dublin Theatre Festival: Paula Weir, Corporate Development & Fundraising Executive
More than 200 people applied for the scheme, which is the first of its kind in Ireland. Dublin’s Culture Connects will fund 50% of each role, with the partner organisation matching that figure. Over the two years, the Fellows will take part in an intensive programme of training and mentorship, with each participating organisation receiving in excess of €80,000 worth of investment in matched-funding and professional development from Dublin’s Culture Connects and Business to Arts. As part of this, leading Irish and international experts will offer masterclasses to develop knowledge and understanding, offering practical and real life expertise. The Fellows will also work with smaller organisations to impart their expertise to them, thus increasing the reach of the programme.
Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive of Business to Arts states:
“Fundraising capacity in medium-sized arts organisations is an under-resourced area, and one that Business to Arts and Dublin City Council are working collaboratively to address. After a competitive recruitment process, we are happy to announce the appointment of the first four recruits for Fundraising Fellowship, Dublin. The Fellows will develop and enhance their fundraising skills and their organisations’ fundraising and marketing capacity. Fundraising Fellowship, Dublin is a two-year, industry-leading programme of investment, training and mentorship and we look forward to working with this dynamic group of young people on their careers in the arts.”
At the announcement, Councilor Vincent Jackson, Chair of Dublin City Council’s Arts, Culture & Recreation SPC (Strategic Policy Committee) said:
“With more than 200 applications, it is gratifying to see so much interest in developing skills in fundraising. This is a key element of any cultural organisation’s survival and it is an area where we’re seeing a significant deficit in expertise. I’m delighted, therefore, to see that this programme will not just benefit the four selected cultural partners, but that it will also have a ripple effect, with the trained Fellows working to support smaller organisations. We hope that this pilot programme will prove able to grow to even more significant impact.”
As part of the initiative, Business to Arts is looking to hear from Dublin-based community groups interested in learning from and partnering with the selected organisations. The closing date for applications for this element of the programme is September 11th. Visit https://www.businesstoarts.ie/newstream/knowledge-centre/fundraising-fellowship/what-is-it/ for further information.
Owen P. Keegan, Chief Executive, Dublin City Council said:
“Building capacity in cultural organisations in the City, and further supporting the sharing of this learning and experiences with others that have less experience in fundraising and philanthropy will foster important new partnerships with communities, business, cultural organisations in Dublin.”
