As a Community Interest Company, ACS operates solely for the benefit of our member artists and the wider artistic community. This means that, whilst a small commission is deducted from royalty payments to cover our administrative costs, any surplus income is locked into the company for the benefit of the creative community.

Since ACS was established in 2006, we are proud to have supported a great variety of community projects and charities such as the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC); the Artists’ Benevolent Institution (AGBI); and the Chelsea Arts Club; and artistic funds and prizes such as the Sophie Trevelyan Thomas Scholarship at the Courtauld Institute of Art; and the Vistors’ Choice Award, London at the National Open Art Competition.

RA Schools Bursary

ACS is dedicated to encouraging the next generation of artists. We are delighted to provide a bursary which provides support for a student in their vitally important third year of study at the Royal Academy Schools. The financial aid ACS provides is able to facilitate the production of new work ahead of the RA Schools Show, an annual exhibition featuring students in their final year of postgraduate study, encouraging emerging artists to explore and experiment with a heightened sense of creative freedom.

Young Masters Art Prize

ACS is proud to contribute to the sponsorship of the Young Masters Art Prize which celebrates an eclectic array of contemporary artists working with traditional methods from all over the world. The initiative provides important career-building recognition and exciting exhibition opportunities for a wide range of rising artists. ACS is delighted to sponsor an eponymous prize which is awarded to two highly commended artists each year who combine skill and innovation with an awareness of art history.

Koestler Trust

ACS is proud to support the Koestler Trust, a leading prison arts charity in the UK who have been awarding and exhibiting artworks by offenders, detainees and secure patients for over 50 years. The financial funding ACS provides supports the development of a variety of prizes, inspiring offenders to take part in the arts, work for achievement and transform their lives.

Educational Talks

ACS is passionate about educating emerging artists on their rights, particularly with regards to the Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) and copyright. Keeping up and coming artists informed as to how to protect their interests is a priority. With this in mind, the ACS team are excited to have collaborated with a range of galleries and institutions, such as the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal West of England Academy, to give engaging talks on the finer points of artist’s rights management.

As well as supporting the wider artistic community, ACS is devoted to promoting the work of our member artists.

Barbican ‘Magnificent Obsessions’

ACS is thrilled to have contributed to the sponsorship of the acclaimed exhibition ‘Magnificent Obsessions: The Artist as Collector’ held at the Barbican Art Gallery from 12th February – 25th May 2015. The personal collections of ACS artists Edmund de Waal and Howard Hodgkin were included in the exhibition, providing a keen insight into the influences of the artists and their work.

The sponsorship ACS contributed helped to deliver an immersive series of events running alongside the exhibition, including an opportunity to hear ACS artist de Waal discuss his eclectic collection and his approach to both his work and the wider world with popular broadcaster Andrew Graham-Dixon.