The new Arts Council England National Portfolio will shape the cultural landscape for the next few years. But what could it mean for the people who make, produce and deliver that culture?

This Pull up a Chair is a chance for freelancers to imagine what a freelancer-friendly NPO landscape could look like.

We'll bring freelancers together to talk about what we'd like to see NPOs doing differently, both in their funding bids and once they're funded. What should organisations be committing to? What kinds of opportunities, working practices and relationships would make a meaningful difference to freelancers? And what would it look like if freelancers were genuinely considered in the design and delivery of NPO work, rather than being an afterthought?

This isn't about picking apart individual organisations or writing ACE's strategy for them. It's about getting practical and ambitious: if we could design the NPO portfolio from a freelancer's perspective, what would we want it to deliver?

Event details

Pull Up a Chair: A freelancer's vision for the new National Portfolio

Wednesday 30 September 2026, 22:30 23:30
Online via Zoom
Free, donations welcome
Booking essential

Some questions we could explore

In the bids

• What should NPOs be saying about freelancers in their applications?

• What does meaningful support for freelancers actually look like?

• Should organisations be committing to specific numbers of commissions, paid opportunities, development opportunities or other forms of support?

• How can NPOs demonstrate that freelancers have shaped their plans?

• What would make an NPO's approach to freelance workers stand out as genuinely good practice?

In delivery

• What do freelancers actually need from NPOs once the funding is secured?

• How could NPOs create better, fairer and more sustainable freelance opportunities?

• What could better relationships between NPOs and freelancers look like?

• How could NPOs improve commissioning, contracting, payment, communication and cancellation practices?

• What kinds of professional development or peer support would actually be useful?

• How can NPOs make sure opportunities reach freelancers who are currently excluded or overlooked?

The bigger picture

• What would a thriving freelance cultural workforce look like in 2028/29?

• What needs to change about the relationship between NPOs and freelancers?

• What should we be holding NPOs accountable for?

• What would make you look back at the new portfolio in a few years and think: "Yes, this made a difference to freelancers."