Twelve arts and cultural organisations across Northern Ireland have progressed to the second stage of the Arts & Business NI 'Blueprint' programme.

This transition marks a shift from foundational training to the active implementation of long-term business plans and financial sustainability projects.

The move is supported by a fresh £320,000 investment from the Department for Communities (DfC) and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI). Since its launch in 2022, the Blueprint initiative has aimed to equip the arts sector with the commercial skills and capital necessary to move away from "project-to-project" reliance and toward robust, multi-year business models.

To date, the programme has invested over £700,000 into the Northern Ireland arts sector. By providing "R&D space," the initiative allows cultural leaders to test new revenue streams and re-evaluate their organisational structures. Sarah Jones, Blueprint Programme Manager at A&B NI, noted: "The Blueprint programme is about giving arts organisations the practical support they need to adapt and thrive, especially in what we know is a really difficult economic climate. We want organisations to feel more confident about their finances, more resilient, and better equipped to diversify and grow their income."

Participants are using the funding to diversify their income through various commercial and community-led strategies:

• Bruiser Theatre Company: Is investing in its team by securing a Development Manager position to pursue new revenue. The company is expanding its touring reach and developing a schools affiliation programme to create sustainable long-term income.

• Open Arts NI: Which works with disabled people, is using the programme to market its commercial assets and explore individual giving, sponsorship, and tendering.

• Dylan Quinn Dance (Enniskillen): Is undergoing a rebrand and structural redevelopment.

• Millennium Court (Portadown): Is focused on developing its physical assets as a multi-use community facility.

Gilly Campbell, Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of NI, welcomed the investment, stating it would provide the "financial means to strategically develop, enhance and reinforce" the sector. Emer Morelli, Interim Permanent Secretary at the DfC, added that the Department sees the potential for the Blueprint model to be rolled out to support other sectors beyond the arts.