Applications to the National portfolio funding programme closed at 10am on Monday 24 January. Approximately 1,340 arts organisations submitted an application to be part of the new portfolio.

What happens next?

Stage one: assessing applications
Regional offices around the country have completed stage one assessments of individual applications. Stage one is an assessment of the application itself, looking at the organisation and its ability to deliver the programme of work that it proposes.

Stage two: building the portfolio
The second stage of assessment is about getting the best mix of arts organisations across the country. This stage began on Wednesday 9 February, initially with senior management teams in each of the Arts Council's areas (East and South East, London, Midlands and South West, North).

Regional councils will review initial proposals in the week commencing 14 February. The following week, area management teams and senior staff from our head office will meet to develop initial proposals and ensure there is a national overview.

Recommendations and decision making
Final decisions on the overall National portfolio will be made by the Arts Council's National Council. Membership of our councils includes practising artists, details can be found on our governance pages.

Funding decisions will be communicated to individual applicants and announced publicly by 30 March 2011, ensuring that all applicants will have 12 months notice of whether they will or will not be receiving National portfolio funding.

The new National portfolio funding system will come into effect from April 2012 and replaces the Regularly funded organisations system, which currently provides funding to 850 arts organisations across the country. Approximately 1,340 organisations have applied to be part of the new portfolio.

.