the winners of the 2022 Achates Philanthropy Prize, the only annual prize that celebrates first-time supporters of culture in the UK, were announced last night at a special ceremony at Birmingham Symphony Hall, presented by philanthropist and long-standing Symphony Hall donor, Peter How.

The ceremony featured the announcement of the Individual Philanthropy Award and Corporate Award, which share a Prize fund of £10,000 thanks to the continued generous support of Prize sponsors, Achates, as well as the announcement of four Bursaries, donated by Achates, offering cultural organisations a bespoke day-long masterclass to support the development of their fundraising or strategy. The audience enjoyed world premiere performances from Otis Mensah, Sheffield’s first Poet Laureate, and Chauntelle M, (AKA ‘Diary of a Poet’), members of the Birmingham-based collective, We Don’t Settle (formerly Beatfreeks), commissioned by the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation.

Caroline McCormick, Chair of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation, said: “Culture is an essential part of society and of a life well lived. At a time when economic pressures are severe, it is important that the many ways in which cultural organisations drive value in our communities and the inspiring example of those who enable this impact, through their support, are celebrated. All of the shortlisted organisations and their supporters evidence the symbiotic role of cultural organisations and their communities.”

For the first time in the history of the Prize, the Individual Philanthropy Award was awarded jointly to Rafe Offer, nominated by Battersea Arts Centre, and Sam and Rosie Berwick, nominated by Spread the Word.

Based in an iconic building with a ground-breaking history, Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) is a home for radical artistic ideas, where artists, audiences and communities can connect and be creative. It is the world’s first Relaxed Venue and operates a trailblazing Pay What You Can ticketing scheme, breaking down barriers to attendance. BAC nominated first-time supporter Rafe Offer for the Individual Award. Rafe first came to BAC over 13 years ago and was recently invited to join the judging panel for The Agency, BAC’s social enterprise programme that supports young people from underserved areas to create projects aimed at making a difference in their local community. Rafe’s role as a judge was to bring his extensive business expertise to benefit the Agents and their projects, but Rafe was so inspired by CUBE IT, a confidence and resilience programme devised by 18-year-old, Mikhi, that he decided to support it with a first-time donation to BAC as well as offering his time to mentor Mikhi in his professional development. This nomination showed how charities can inspire new potential supporters by offering first-hand experiences that demonstrate the impact of the work they do and the tangible ways in which donors can make a real difference.

Spread the Word is London’s literature development agency. The charity supports the creative and professional development of writing talent, by engaging those already interested in literature and those who will be, and by advocating on behalf of both. The charity nominated Sam and Rosie Berwick for their philanthropic gift of £100,000 (+Gift Aid) towards the creation of an Early Career Bursary programme which will benefit three low-income London-based writers each year. The Berwick’s have co-designed the programme together with Spread the Word in recognition of the significant barriers faced by unpublished, socio-economically marginalised writers. The couple are committed to supporting it annually for at least five years, resulting in an intended total gift of £250,000 (+Gift Aid). This nomination recognised not only a substantial financial gift and a sustained level of support but also highlighted the importance of unlocking the potential of real partnership and co-creation between charities and donors who share their vision and values.

Rafe Offer and Sam and Rosie Berwick were selected from a shortlist of six outstanding first-time supporters for culture in the UK – the other nominees were: Cath Longman-Jones, nominated by Cardboard Citizens; new donors to the Manchester Contemporary Art Fund, nominated by Manchester Art Gallery; Will Hanway and Luise Luetcke, nominated by Museum of the Home; and Rosianna Halse Rojas, nominated by The Women’s Prize Trust.

The 2022 Individual Philanthropy Award was debated and voted on by an independent judging panel chaired by Nick Reed, CEO of B:Music. The panel was: Suzanne Alleyne, Cultural Thinker working at the intersection of academic research, business and culture; Dee Conaghan, Artistic Director of Stage Beyond Theatre Company; Niks Delanancy, Founder of the digital platform, Black Artist Database (B.A.D); Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health for Lancashire County Council; Sarah Purisa Maguire, freelance producer and Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation; Sarah Marshall, Founder, CEO and Artistic Director of The People’s Orchestra; Paul Owens, co-founder of BOP and Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation; Steven Roth, Executive Director of Scottish Ballet; Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director of Graeae; Jameel Shariff, Member of We Don’t Settle collective, and winner of the Future Presenter Award at the Edinburgh TV Festival New Voice Awards; and Bill Swainson, publisher, literary consultant and Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation.

Nick Reed, Chair of the Individual Philanthropy Award judging panel, said: “With the quality of these applications it almost goes without saying that our judging panel had an incredibly hard job picking a winner. It was so hard in fact that we picked two. We distilled what it was that really spoke to us all and that was the purity of how a gift translated into directly supporting the art, unobstructed by organisational inertia, and how that gift was enhanced by the active involvement of the donor. These qualities were abundant in our joint winners.”