The Invest in Inspiration/ Keep our Arts Alive has successfully safeguarded the future of many of Northern Ireland’s cultural institutions.

In light of the disappointing proposed settlement in the Draft Budget 2008-11 it had been feared that up to 56 organisations, 200 jobs and 3,200 projects could be lost. However, after months of lobbying, the arts have been awarded an additional £7.55million over three years.

Although the increase is well short of the additional £26million required to place the arts in Northern Ireland on a par with the rest of the UK and Ireland, it does mean that many under threat projects and organisations will be spared.

Under the original Draft Budget, the arts were in line for a £4.25million funding increase – a figure that failed even to cover the £4.5million raided from the arts lottery budget by the 2012 London Olympics. However, a sustained campaign, in which the arts sector submitted 3,000 (out of a total 9,000) responses to the budget consultation prompted the government to rethink its arts allocation.

As well as securing an uplift in arts spending the Invest in Inspiration/Keep our Arts Alive campaigns also seemed to spark a sea change in government’s attitudes towards the arts. In his budget speech Peter Robinson, minister for finance, acknowledged the benefits of the arts to Northern Ireland, saying: “Turning to the issue of funding for the arts, the Executive recognises the importance of the sector, not just in terms of entertainment and relaxation but also because of the significant potential contribution it can make to our tourist sector and to wider economic growth.”

The modest increase is only a short term fix for a long term problem. Years of under investment mean that the Northern Ireland arts sector still faces an uncertain future and will struggle to realise its full potential. Survival is not enough. We need to move to a situation where the arts have sufficient resources to prosper so Northern Ireland can fully reap the benefits of a strong and confident arts sector.

CAF would like to applaud and thank the community arts sector for its determined campaigning for increased arts funding. The sector has demonstrated, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the arts are intrinsic to the future success of Northern Ireland – a message that is finally getting through.