Clients

Achates was founded in 2014 by Caroline McCormick, who was formerly Chief Executive of the world’s largest organisation representing writers, PEN International, heading up 145 Centres in 105 countries and acting as the Literature Representative at UNESCO.

Caroline’s passion for art, social and environmental justice led her to create Achates as an ethical company dedicated to supporting charities working in these areas. To date we have advised over 600 organisations internationally and our reputation goes from strength to strength; whether advising UK cultural organisations ranging from The Women’s Prize Trust, to the Donmar Warehouse, to London Film School; leading human rights fundraising campaigns for organisations such as The White Helmets on behalf of the Syria Campaign, and the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music; advising environmental organisations, such as Greenpeace and ArtsAdmin; or international organisations such as 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust and Belarus Free Theatre; we are known and respected for our ability to enable resilience with integrity through our strong focus on organisational purpose and distinctiveness, and on understanding the priorities of participants and audiences.

Achates has rapidly become a respected cultural sector strategic and fundraising consultancy company which works with and for cultural organisations of all scales, art forms and locations to support a holistic and embedded approach to business planning and voluntary income generation, from bid writing to identification and cultivation of major donor prospects, to leading on major capital projects.

Below is a list of some of our most recent clients from across the cultural sector.

Dance

Candoco Dance Company
Dancers Career Development
Dance United Yorkshire
Protein Dance
Northern Ballet
Royal Academy of Dance

Film

London Film School
The Bay International Film Festival

Fine & Visual Arts

Art House, Wakefield
Arnolfini
Blackhorse Workshop
Grand Union
Hastings Contemporary
Holyhead Studios
Rosetta Arts
Somerset Art Works
The Mosaic Rooms
The Photographic Collections Network

Literature

Bare Lit Festival
Battersea Arts Centre
Berkley Books Community Library
Climate Fiction
Ginko Library
Hay Festival
Lit & Phil
National Literacy Trust
National Centre for Writing
New Writing North
Royal Literary Fund
The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation
The Poetry School
The Poetry Translation Centre
Women’s Prize Trust

Multi-Arts

32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust
Alexandra Palace
Arch 468
ArtDotQuarter
Artis
Barbican
Birmingham MAC
Camden Arts Centre
Chapter Arts Centre
Delfina Foundation
East Street Arts
First Story
Future Arts Centres
Global Venues
Grand Junction
Heart of Glass
In Between Time
King’s Head Theatre
Macrobert Arts Centre
Made With Many
The Maltings Arts
New Art Exchange (NAE)
Newhampton Arts Centre
Norwich Arts Centre
Putney Arts Centre
Roundhouse
Royal Albert Hall
SAIL (Sustainable Arts in Leeds)
Union Chapel
The Forum Norwich
Two Destination Language
Unlimited
Wiltshire Creative
Without Walls

Museums

Birmingham Museums Trust
Eyam Museum
Green Howards Museum
National Museums Liverpool
Plus Tate
Royal Armouries
Tate
Worthing Theatres and Museum

Music

Black Lives in Music
City of London Sinfonia
jazz re:freshed
Live Music Now
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
London Chamber Orchestra
London Sinfonietta
London Youth Choirs
National Youth Orchestra
Nonclassical
Palmusic
The People’s Orchestra
UD Music
World Heart Beat
Youth Music

Opera

Northern Ireland Opera
Opera North
Streetwise Opera

Other

Anotherway Now
Audience Agency
B3 Media
Bath Spa University
Bradford 2025 (City of Culture)
Brent Council
Brixton House
CD Land Management
Celestial
Climate Spring
Collective Act
Crafts Council
East London Waterworks Park
Flatpack
GSTT
House of St Barnabas
LB Croydon (Borough of Culture)
Luton Council
Manchester Craft and Design Centre
Morecambe Bay Triennial
National Archives Trust
National Lottery Heritage Fund
On the Record
One world media
Photo Fringe, Brighton
RAISE Programme, Ireland
RADA
Sapara Education Project
SEMLEP
Shubbak
Stagetext
St John the Divine
The CoLAB
Trigger
The Walk Productions
WECC
University of the Arts, London
Vocaleyes
We Made That
Writer’s Guild New Play Commission Scheme
Women of the World

Theatre

Actors Touring Company
Albany
Albany Family Arts Campaign/Albany
An Tobar and Mull Theatre
Arts Admin
Brighton Hippodrome
Bush Theatre
Camden People’s Theatre
Cardboard citizens
China Plate
Camden People’s Theatre
Complicité
Donmar Warehouse
Dublin Theatre Festival
Eclipse Theatre
English Touring Theatre
Freedom Studios
Fuel Theatre
Gate Theatre
Hackney Shed
Headlong
Javaad Alipoor
Kings Head
Little Angel Theatre
London’s International Festival of Theatre (LIFT)
Marlowe Theatre
MAYK
Newbury Corn Exchange
New International Encounter Theatre (NIE)
OffWestEnd
Oily Cart
Orange Tree Theatre
Outside Edge Theatre
Paines Plough
Park Theatre
Rifco
Sasa Arts
Shakespeare Globe
Shakespeare North
Soho Theatre
Stage Beyond
Stockroom
Talawa
The Almeida Theatre
The Big House Theatre Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company
The Old Vic
Theatre503
Theatre Royal Newcastle
Tramshed
Two Destination Language
The Watermill Theatre
The Yard Theatre
Unicorn Theatre
Young Vic