The campaign to protect one of Scotland’s most beloved venues has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.
The Save Aberdeen Arts Centre campaign is one of just three finalists in the Fundraising Campaign of the Year category at the 2026 National Fundraising Awards.
Launched in May 2025 with just two weeks of preparation time, the campaign was delivered with no budget, no agencies and unprecedented urgency by a small team fresh into their roles – all to save the home of grassroots arts in Aberdeen.
Judges praised the campaign for its “agility, resilience, and smart use of media and local targeting to attract new supporters and deliver strong results” – highlighting “the clear prioritisation of staff wellbeing” and “the authentic grassroots nature of the work.”
To date, the ongoing campaign has raised over £158,000. The winners of the National Fundraising Awards will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony in London in June.
Aberdeen Arts Centre’s fundraising manager Julia Smith said, “None of us expected to be in the position to launch a campaign of this scale with so little notice, and we have been overwhelmed by the community support that has allowed Aberdeen Arts Centre to continue to operate.
“So, to be shortlisted for such a celebrated national award run by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising is the icing on the cake!
“Our team, volunteers and the community have rallied round to ensure that the 35+ local performing groups that use our stage every year still have a home – and that grassroots, people-powered arts can continue to thrive in Aberdeen.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. There is still a lot of work to be done, and we are grateful to all the fundraisers who continue to work tirelessly to support us.”
Aberdeen Arts Centre is an independent arts venue in the heart of Aberdeen, operated by registered charity Castlegate Arts Ltd for over a quarter of a century.
For more than 60 years, Aberdeen Arts Centre has played a crucial role in the north east’s vibrant arts scene through its programme of performances, Creative Learning Programme for children and adults, and an Artist Development Programme to support local professional creatives.
In May 2025, the centre launched the Save Aberdeen Arts Centre campaign – a three-year fundraising drive to raise £660,000 to secure its future. Individuals and corporate sponsors can find out more and donate at https://www.aberdeenartscentre.com/save-aberdeen-arts-centre.
Aberdeen Arts Centre encompasses a 350-seater auditorium; café bar; flexible spaces for performances, events, exhibitions and meetings; and the Children’s Theatre, opened by Catherine Hollingworth in the 1950s as a pioneering youth theatre (the first of its kind in the UK) and now used as a vital resource for professional artist development.
For more information, visit www.aberdeenartscentre.com or follow Aberdeen Arts Centre on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @AberdeenArtsCentre.