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Cultural research and project evaluation
Bespoke, ACE and NLFG aligned, people-centred evaluation for arts and cultural organisations.
Prove the power of arts and culture
The secret to getting real, honest insight
We use methods that prioritise people, encourage open dialogue, and centre fairness and inclusion; ensuring findings are authentic and recommendations are meaningful, especially in place-making projects.
Data that actually means something
By setting clear research objectives and using tools built around real-life experiences, we highlight cultural impact, uncover areas for growth, and help clients meet funding body reporting requirements with confidence.
Delivering insight, impact and evidence-led evaluation
Supporting organisations to design and deliver research and evaluation aligned with Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund priorities.
Download our cultural research and evaluation information pack
A concise overview of our approach to cultural research and evaluation, outlining how we move beyond standardised tools to deliver bespoke, embedded methodologies that capture nuance, challenge assumptions and generate meaningful insight into cultural engagement and impact.
Contributing to the UK’s cultural future
Our cultural engagement expertise has contributed to policy change for two decades, with our contribution, inlcuding to the Arts Council England and DCMS 2025 reviews, influencing the national conversation on cultural access and creative participation; we frequently setting the standard for engagement practice.
Our approach
As ACE and NLHF trained consultants, we combine robust methodologies with engaging approaches to generate meaningful insight, strengthen practice and demonstrate the value of your work.
Coordinating multiple ways of knowing
Through immersive, participatory methods and multi-stage inquiry, we uncover the unique context and impact of your project, while situating findings within relevant local, regional and national data to ensure insight is both grounded and credible.
Bespoke research
When overseeing research we look to strike a balance between measurable impact and immeasurable value. We strive to capture, illustrate and interpret the value and impact of your audience’s experience.
Our approach
Although research can be time consuming, over a number of years we’ve distilled down methodologies that largely focus on observational and participatory dialogues and “deep hanging out” through an immersion of ourselves within your culture. Cultural engagement is complex and requires a multi-stage approach to investigate. Despite what funded organisations are often led to believe, a single template survey is not adequate. We commit to peeling back the layers of the unique context in which your organisation or project sits until we reach the ah-ha moment and an audience’s engagement psychology is revealed.
National and regional context
Our research methodologies are inwardly focused but outwardly positioned. That is, they are specific to your requirements while being contextualised with relevant regional and national data.
Our approach
We have access to a range of desk-based data sources that help build a situational overview of local, regional and national demographics, both within and beyond the cultural sector. Sources we regularly use include Local Insights, Mosaic, Audience Finder, Audience Spectrum and Arts Council England’s Active Lives survey. This is supplemented by publicly available reports from councils and public bodies, alongside data from the Office for National Statistics. We stress the importance of giving equal consideration to bespoke fact-finding, helping to reduce the presumptions and stereotyping that often arise when relying solely on desk-based sources.
Helping organisations meet funding requirements and demonstrate impact
Selected clients
A selection of 2026 projects demonstrating our approach to audience insight, participation and cultural strategy.
Culture Trust, Luton
The Culture Trust needed to develop an evidence-led cultural strategy grounded in audience behaviour to strengthen participation and inform long-term decision-making.
Our approach
We combined audience profiling, behavioural insight and stakeholder engagement to build a comprehensive understanding of how people engage with culture across the area.
- Analysed audience behaviour, motivations and barriers to participation
- Conducted stakeholder consultation across cultural and civic partners
- Applied psycho-segmented audience frameworks to identify growth opportunities
- Developed a strategy aligned with Arts Council England priorities and local policy context
The strategy provided a foundation for sustained cultural development, enabling The Culture Trust to make confident, informed decisions and strengthen participation across diverse communities.
- A clear, evidence-led cultural strategy grounded in real audience behaviour
- Identification of priority audience segments and pathways to participation
- Stronger alignment with funding frameworks and public value objectives
- A practical roadmap for increasing participation and long-term cultural engagement
Tamworth Castle
Tamworth Castle required robust behaviour-led research and evaluation that provided clear insight into participation, impact and future strategy to inform an Arts Council England Unlocking Collections bid.
Our approach
We designed and delivered a tailored, people-centred research and evaluation framework, combining quantitative and qualitative methods.
- Developed bespoke surveys and in-venue data collection tools
- Captured audience behaviour, motivations and barriers in real time
- Facilitated dialogue-led engagement to gather deeper qualitative insight
- Applied behavioural analysis to interpret participation patterns and cultural value
Tamworth Castle gained a deeper understanding of how audiences engage, enabling more effective decision-making, stronger funding cases and improved long-term outcomes.
- Rich, evidence-led insight into audience behaviour and participation
- Clear understanding of programme impact and cultural value
- Actionable recommendations to strengthen future engagement
- Robust reporting aligned with Arts Council England and Heritage Fund requirements
Black Country Touring
Black Country Touring sought to better understand audience behaviour across local touring locations to inform participation and programming, supported by real-time insight and a clear strategic framework.
Our approach
We designed and delivered a tailored audience research and strategy framework, combining in-venue surveying with behavioural analysis.
- Developed bespoke audience surveys adapted for touring environments
- Captured real-time data on audience behaviour, motivations and decision-making
- Analysed patterns of participation across different locations and communities
- Applied psycho-segmentation frameworks to identify opportunities for growth
- Translated findings into a clear, actionable engagement strategy
Black Country Touring gained a deeper understanding of how audiences engage, participate and make decisions, enabling more confident strategic planning, stronger community connections and more effective touring delivery.
- A robust evidence base grounded in real audience behaviour
- Clear insight into participation patterns across touring locations
- Identification of key barriers and opportunities for audience growth
- A strategic framework to guide programming, marketing and engagement
Supercharge your impact evaluation
A curated set of practical tools and resources to support cultural audience research and evaluation.
Trusted by cultural organisations across the UK and beyond
We build long-term partnerships grounded in trust, insight and shared ambition; working with organisations across the UK and internationally to deliver meaningful cultural impact and value.
– 143 Arts Council England funded organisations
– 31 National Lottery Heritage Fund projects
– 19 Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations
– 14 Higher and Further Education institutions