Art Happens gives museums and audiences the power to bring exciting projects to life together.

Designed specifically for museums and galleries, our crowdfunding platform is completely free to use, meaning 100% of the funds raised go directly to your project.

And the Art Fund team provides support every step of the way, from running workshops offering advice and expertise, to helping you plan your campaign.

We cover the costs of producing a film and donor rewards, and we offer a range of resources to help you run a successful campaign.

Crowdfunding through Art Happens is about more than just fundraising. It can help you to raise awareness of your organisation and the work you're doing, reach new audiences, engage your existing supporters in new ways – and encourage visitors to go from going to giving.

Since we launched the platform in 2014, over 8,500 donors have raised more than £900,000 for a huge variety of projects.

Take a look at some Art Happens success stories.

Who is Art Happens for?

To run a crowdfunding campaign on Art Happens you must be:

• a UK public museum, gallery, historic house, library or archive, and at least provisionally accredited under the Arts Council Accreditation Scheme; or a not-for-profit visual arts organisation with a public focus

If you have an exciting arts project in mind that you think could be right for crowdfunding, get in touch to find out more about attending an Art Happens workshop and submitting a proposal.

Funds available

We recommend aiming to raise between £10,000 and £25,000 through Art Happens.

Credits and acknowledgements

Development of the Art Happens infrastructure has been generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and contributions from private individuals and charitable trusts.