Our history
Our history
Overview
We were founded in 1946 in an era of increased opportunity for all, following the Second World War.
For 70 years, we’ve worked closely with Government and partners to give more people opportunities to enjoy and benefit from great art and culture.
We have gone through many changes, from our original remit as the Arts Council of Great Britain to today.
Take a look at some key landmarks in our history in the following sections.
1940s
1940 Committee for Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) set up by Royal Charter
1941 John Maynard Keynes becomes Chair of CEMA
1945 46 art organisations are funded by CEMA
1946 Keynes dies shortly before Arts Council charter drafted
1948 Local government authorises spending on the arts
1950s
1951 Festival of Britain
1955 Arts Council increases the amount of grant-receiving organisations to 92, including the Royal Opera House and Royal Court Theatre
1960s
1964 Jennie Lee appointed as first Arts Minister
1967 Arts Council Charter renewed
1970s
1975 Arts Council supports 262 organisations
1980s
1984 Glory Of the Garden report published by the Arts Council, claiming inequitable funding between London and the regions
1987 Norman Tebbitt campaigns for restructure of Arts Council funding system
1989 Wilding report published, claiming further underfunding in the regions
1990s
1992 Department of National Heritage formed
1993 National Lottery Act passed
1994 Arts Council of Great Britain replaced with National Arts Councils, National Lottery
1997 Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) created. Chris Smith becomes first Secretary of State for DCMS, a senior cabinet post
2000s
2002 The Arts Council of England and the 10 regional arts boards merge
2003 The new organisation is named Arts Council England
2008 McMaster report published
2010s
2010 Arts Council England publishes Achieving great art for everyone (PDF, 165.97 KB), our 10-year strategic framework for the arts
2011 Arts Council England assumed new responsibilities for the support and development of museums and libraries
2012 In the year of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, millions experienced the culmination of the four-year Arts Council-supported Cultural Olympiad programme, showcasing art and culture in England on a world stage
2013 Reflecting its newly expanded remit, the 10-year strategic framework was refreshed to Great art and culture for everyone (PDF, 488.03 KB)
2020s
2020 Arts Council England publishes Let’s Create, our strategy for the next ten years which sets out our vision that by 2030 England will be a country in which everyone’s creativity is valued and given the opportunity to flourish and we all have access to a range of high-quality cultural experiences.
2020-21 We launch our emergency response to address the Covid-19 crisis, including helping distribute the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, a £1.57 billion fund supporting cultural organisations through the impact of the pandemic.
Our annual reports
Each year the Arts Council publishes our annual report and accounts, setting out how we’re fulfilling our mission