Déda celebrates successful Catalyst: Evolve bid

Déda, Derby’s Centre for Dance and Contemporary Circus, is one of 140 organisations to receive a share of £17.5 million as part of Arts Council England’s Catalyst: Evolve programme. Catalyst: Evolve aims to support organisations with a limited capacity for fundraising to enable them to attract more private giving.

The Evolve fund will help Déda to develop successful and sustainable fundraising activities by providing the tools and resources to raise funds.  A large part of the grant will be used to match fund donations from visitors and patrons for the first time.

Déda has recently been able to demonstrate an emerging track record in fundraising thanks to recent successful applications to trusts and foundations. These include the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, who are supporting Déda over three years to increase capacity in order to develop its vision as the East Midlands’ leading creative centre for dance, contemporary circus and outdoor performing arts. Stephen Munn, CEO and Artistic Director at Déda said: "We’re delighted to be successful in our application to the Catalyst: Evolve fund. Since we learnt that Derby City Council planned to withdraw funding from all its cultural organisations by 2018/19, we’ve been working hard to establish new partnerships and an innovative business model which is not so reliant on public subsidy. This news, coming soon after our successful application to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, is a real vote of confidence in Déda as a creative centre for Dance, Contemporary Circus and Outdoor Work, connecting locally, nationally and internationally."

Jo Dowson, Head of Finance at Déda, commented: "Not many people even know that Déda is a charity that needs funding. This money will help us shout about all the children and people we help through our learning and education programmes and all the lives we enrich every day through what we do so well. When we tell our heart-warming stories we believe that people and businesses will support Déda, especially as their donation or sponsorship will be doubled thanks to this Catalyst programme."

Catalyst: Evolve offers match funding to incentivise philanthropic giving, and also invests in the infrastructure of organisations to better enable them to raise philanthropic income.

Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: "Across the Midlands, arts and cultural organisations are working hard to secure alternative sources of income, which is why we launched our Catalyst: Evolve programme to help support and develop long-term fundraising plans. Over the coming years, I'm looking forward to seeing how our match funding can make a real impact locally, delivering greater returns and helping our region's world-class arts and culture continue to thrive."

For more information about Déda please visit www.deda.uk.com