Funding
Enthusiasm and passion are key to attempting any new project, but it is essential to have a clear and realistic understanding of the cost and expenditure needed to complete and fund a venture such as this. Many schemes, started with good intentions, fail because of inadequate planning and a failure to secure sufficient funding.
Acquiring the land is the first hurdle. Often the land is donated by a private landowner or local government as in the case of Owen Griffiths’ ‘The Vetch Veg Project’ 2011, where the land was donated by the Welsh government. The land on which Alvanley Community Sculpture Meadow will be sited has been provided by the landowners at no charge or future rent. Not having to raise money for fixed costs like rent or loans to cover the cost of the land will help the project enormously.
Many sculpture parks charge a fee to enter. This creates revenue to cover running costs and the acquisitions of new art. Alvanley Community Sculpture Meadow will be free to access and, as a result, will need to obtain funding by other means.
It may be advantageous to register the sculpture meadow as a charity. Although there can be financial benefits regarding tax breaks, there are strict rules regarding trading as a registered charity. They must provide public, up-to-date information about their finances and information of directors and people involved in the running of the charity. This can be time consuming and can incur additional secretarial and accounting costs.
The project has been privately funded up to now, but the aim is to apply for funding from institutions that support the arts, the arts council, the lottery fund, local council, businesses and individuals for example. Setting up a ‘Friends of Alvanley Community Sculpture Meadow’ would be another way of creating revenue, but this would need to be registered and accounts would need to be kept, which would incur extra costs.