The Figurative experience: what’s it like?
Each year Figurative hosts Portfolio Day, bringing together the organisations we’ve invested in to share knowledge and discuss sector challenges.
Portfolio Day enables our investee community to connect and collaborate with others in the arts and culture sector, build a support network of other organisations also using repayable finance, learn from sector experts and ask financial or impact-related questions to support future business decisions.
“Portfolio Day is one of my favourite days in the Figurative calendar. Everything we do is rooted and dependent on the inspirational work that our investee organisations deliver. Hearing these incredible stories reinforces our focus on supporting organisations to build their assets, drive increasing revenue streams, and achieve financial sustainability and resilience.”
Fran Sanderson, CEO, Figurative
Figurative welcomed over 25 members from our portfolio of organisations, including Acme Artists’ Studios, Anna Fiorentini Performing Arts School, Creative Land Trust, Band on the Wall, Rambert, Studio Wayne McGregor and Young Vic, for a panel sessions, keynote speech on financial resilience, breakout sessions, and of course plenty of opportunities to network.
In the film, you’ll hear from:
- Matt Otridge, COO, Music Venue Properties (MVP)– a charitable community benefit society that acts as a benevolent landlord to grassroots music venues. When they faced a fundraising shortfall to launch a pioneering initiative bringing venues into community ownership, a £1 million secured loan closed that gap.
- Artistic Director and joint CEO, Samantha Lane from Little Angel Theatre – one of the UK’s leading children’s puppetry theatres, based in Islington, London. The theatre secured a Theatre Tax Relief (TTR) loan to address cash flow during seasonal challenges, and a social impact loan to support new creative and income-generating initiatives, enabling targeted expansion of productions, its puppet-making facility, and fundraising campaigns.
- Yves Blais, Operations Manager, Creative Land Trust, a charity established in 2019 to address the rapid loss of affordable workspace for artists and makers in London. The organisation used a loan to provide additional support to studio providers and their artist tenants during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Angela Dixon, CEO of Saffron Hall Trust – the critically acclaimed, 740-seat performing arts venue – used a loan to invest in the trust’s fundraising capacity and grow its earned income streams. Following the unexpected early withdrawal of its key donor, it made the decision to accelerate its business transformation plans.
- Finally, John Middleton, Former interim Financial Director for Young Vic – one of London’s leading theatres – talks about taking out a TTR cash flow loan to support the theatre whilst waiting for payments from HMRC.
Our team works with organisations through the entire investment process to build their financial resilience, helping them demonstrate their social impact and become financially independent. If you’re interested in speaking to us about financial investment, get in touch with our team today.
