Kelsey Ford Portfolio 2-2

5 5 5 =
creativity
A preliminary review of the charitable organization
5x5x5=creativity
Kelsey Ford
MA Arts Management, Bath Spa University

This report will demonstrate an initial understanding of the organization
5x5x5=creativity based in Bath, Somerset. First, this report will provide
a brief introduction into 5x5x5’s background and role as leaders in
creative arts education. It will then discuss the organizational structure
of 5x5x5, with particular emphasis on the collaborative nature of the
organization.
The report will then give a summary of 5x5x5’s financial history. It will
examine the organization’s various funding streams as well as some of its
financial challenges. The report will then explore 5x5x5’s strategic plans
in an effort to understand how the organization hopes to remain a
sustainable organization.
The report will briefly introduce some of the organization’s projects and
research that will be further explored in the accompanying critical review
of the organization.
Finally, this report will evaluate 5x5x5 and identify some of the key
challenges the organization faces. It will then introduce some of the main
areas that will be explored further in the critical review of the
organization.
3

5x5x5=creativity identifies as “an independent, arts-based action
research organization” (5x5x5=creativity 2008d). The organization was
initially formed in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) in 2000 as
an “action research project” that would create opportunities for creative
growth and development in education for early years (ages 3-5)
(5x5x5=creativity 2008d).
The project was based around the model from Emilia Romagna, an area
in Northern Italy. Called the Reggio Emilia Approach (Drummond 2005),
the grass-roots early years educational movement places a significant
amount of attention and respect on children’s individuality and creativity.
The idea is to create a setting that gives children the unique opportunities,
space, and support to explore and develop through their education
The original structure of the project was a collaboration between five
cultural centers, five artists, and five educational settings in B&NES;
however, the reach of 5x5x5 has grown dramatically, involving children
of all ages in 180 research locations across nine local authorities
Additionally, 5x5x5’s research on the importance of creativity in the
educational development of children and young people is nationally
recognized (5x5x5=creativity 2008d). As leading experts on enhancing
creative opportunities for children, 5x5x5 contributes their knowledge
and expertise to communities by collaborating on related projects and
events, mentoring and consulting artists, educators, and cultural leaders,
and advocating for children’s rights (5x5x5=creativity 2008a).
5

o Demonstrate ways in which creativity can be fostered in children and
young people and fire their interest in learning
o Influence educational practice by establishing creativity as an essential
foundation of learning
o Produce research to demonstrate the value of creative enquiry,
relationships and environments in helping children and young people
develop as confident, creative thinkers
o Share the research findings as widely as possible, creating a legacy for
the future
o Provide integrated training and mentoring for participating teachers,
artists, and cultural settings
Figure 2.1: Aims of 5x5x5=creativity (5x5x5=creativity 2008d)
6

Due to its collaborative nature, 5x5x5’s structure includes a number of
stakeholders involved in its research and projects; however, 5x5x5’s core
team is actually quite small. Identified as the “Research Team”, 5x5x5 is
run by:
Penny Hay, Director of Research
Jus Clark, Administrator
Liz Elders, Mentor & Professional Development
Louise Betts, Director of Business (5x5x5=creativity 2014)
5x5x5 identifies a number of “people and partnerships” who have
collaborated with the organization, including trustees, patrons,
educational settings, artists, creative professionals, and cultural centers.
Figure 3.1 shows a representation of the number of key stakeholders
involved in 5x5x5 just in the most recent 2013-2014 term
(5x5x5=creativity 2014).
In addition to the current supporters, 5x5x5 draws on a vast network of
15 years’ worth of collaborators. Since their conception, they have
worked with 77 educational settings, 66 artists and creative
professionals, and 76 cultural centers in an official capacity
(5x5x5=creativity 2014). They also work with a vast number of
freelance team members and unpaid volunteers for their many workshops,
programs, and events.
Through initial observations in some of 5x5x5’s program meetings and
workshops, there does not seem to be a concrete leadership hierarchy in
the organization. Volunteers, paid employees, trustees, and collaborators
all appear on the surface to have the same amount of weight in
discussions and organizational tasks. There does not seem to be clear
separation between departmental duties, such as marketing, education,
volunteer recruitment, project coordinating, fundraising, etc. Further
observations of the organizational hierarchy will be made in the later
accompanying critical review of the organization.
8

Figure 3.1: 2013-14 Key Stakeholders (5x5x5=creativity 2014)
9

Since its creation in 2000, 5x5x5=creativity has relied on financial
support from sponsors, funders, grants, and donations. Additionally, the
schools who participate in 5x5x5’s research projects pay various costs,
detailed as “contributions” (Young 2009). As they have only been a
registered charity since 2007, much of their financial history prior to that
is a bit of a mystery. Although 5x5x5 references their funders and
sponsors on their website, it was a challenge to identify how much the
funders and sponsors gave to the organization as well as what those funds
were used for. Surprisingly, their financial data is not published in their
Annual Report; instead, the financial information from 2009-2013 can be
unearthed from the annual Directors’ Reports published on the Charity
Commission database.
In its first few years of development, 5x5x5 received a significant amount
of funding from NESTA and B&NES (Fawcett and Hay 2004).
Additionally, in 2003, 5x5x5 received a £50,000 grant from Arts
Council England alongside the B&NES Arts Development Team for
development of creativity in early years settings (Fawcett and Hay 2004,
Got Lottery 2014). In 2007, they received £60,000 over two years from
the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, which allowed them to register as a
charitable organization (Esmee Fairbairn Foundation 2007).
Additionally in 2007, they received £28,700 from Arts Council England
as well as an additional £9,500 from the Awards for All (England) Joint
Scheme (Got Lottery 2007a and 2007b).
The Charity Commission database has the published financial accounts
via the Directors’ Reports for 5x5x5 from the fiscal year ending August
2009 to the fiscal year ending August 2013 (Charity Commission 2014).
According to these reports, 5x5x5’s expenditure has exceeded their
income for the past four out of five years. These deficits have ranged
from £4,475 to £11,280 (Charity Commission 2014).
11

In addition to their continued challenge of overspending, the
organization’s income has also decreased dramatically in the past five
years. For the fiscal year ending August 2010, they marked a high point
in their total income of £142,390; this is almost double their income for
the fiscal year ending August 2013, which was £73,335 (Charity
Commission 2014).
The Directors’ Reports detail many of the financial challenges 5x5x5 has
faced. For example, in the past four years, they have reported that the
schools they work with were asked to increase their contributions for the
cost of 5x5x5’s services (Young 2009, 2014). Additionally, as the scope
of their projects increase, they have had to hire and pay more freelance
artists and staff members. They also found it necessary to increase the
amount of Continuing Professional Development and consultancy services
they offer to increase earned income.
In some of the related projects and programs 5x5x5 has been part of,
they have utilized extremely unique funding streams. 5x5x5’s Director of
Research Penny Hay, who is also a Fellow for the Royal Society for the
encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) has run
successful crowdfunding campaigns on the RSA’s Kickstarter funding
page (Hay 2013a). In both 2014 and 2015, the Kickstarter campaign
brought in over £10,000 for a four-day pop-up contemporary arts event
in Bath called Forest of Imagination (Hay 2013b and 2015).
Funding continues to be an issue for 5x5x5, especially as the number of
charitable organizations who need funding for very worthy causes
increases. In the 2013-14 year, 5x5x5 applied for £100,000 of grant
funding for their work (Young 2014). It will be interesting to observe
how much grant money they actually received when they publish their
report for the fiscal year ending August 2014 as well as how they plan to
navigate increasing financial difficulties within the arts sector.
12

Funders Sponsors
Arts Council England South West Great Western Wine
Awards for All Sanford UK
Creative Partnerships Seawhite of Brighton
Creativity Culture and Education Specialist Crafts
Ernest Cook Trust Local Authority Partnerships
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Bath & North East Somerset
G H Zeal Ltd Bristol City Council
National Centre for Excellence in the
Teaching of Mathematics
Kingston Council
North Somerset Council
Nesta South Gloucestershire Council
The Wilmington Trust Wiltshire County Council
Youth Music Worcestershire County Council
Figure 4.1: 5x5x5=creativity Financial History (Charity Commission 2014)
Figure 4.2: Funders & Sponsors (5x5x5=creativity 2014)
13

Although 5x5x5=creative is quite open about the aims and objectives of
the organization as well as their research strategies, their strategic
business plan is not as easy to identify. Their published Annual Reports
focus on their research objectives and projects; they feature the
transformative stories of educators, children, and parents who participate
in 5x5x5’s programming. While these pieces of strategic research are
imperative for the organization to prove their intrinsic value, it seems that
it would also be important that their annual reports identify their financial
objectives, funding streams, and long-term strategic plans for the
organization.
After further investigation, pieces of the organization’s strategic plan
were discovered in the annual Directors’ Reports rather than the public
Annual Reports. In their most recent report for the fiscal year ending
August 2013, they identified several aspects of their future strategy,
including focusing on developing grant funding opportunities from their
vast network of stakeholders and partners as well as developing their
grant applications in a much more strategic way (Young 2014).
Additionally, much of their strategic plan focused on defining and
clarifying what 5x5x5 actually offers to better represent the organization
as a leader in the arts sector. They placed particular emphasis on
developing the network, influence, and skills of the artists and creative
professionals involved with the organization (Young 2014).
The keystone of their strategic business plan as well as the organization’s
research is evaluation. 5x5x5 seeks to “create sustainable embedded
practice which supports children’s and young people’s creative learning”
(5x5x5=creativity 2008a). To achieve this lofty objective, the
organization follows a rigorous evaluation process that involves assessing
the children and young people, the environment of the project, the adults
involved, the various collaborations within the project, and the various
data reported throughout each project (5x5x5=creativity 2008a).
15

The following is an introduction to the many areas of research,
programming, and developing in which 5x5x5=creativity is involved.
These projects will be examined in the accompanying critical review of
the organization.
Schools Without Walls
Forest of Imagination
Child Friendly City
Children’s Rights – EarlyArts and Action for Children’s Arts
Mentoring, Workshops, and Professional Development
Conferences & Research Publications
Bath Spa University Master’s program
ReFocus Network
17

5x5x5=creativity faces a number of internal and external challenges.
Some areas, such as fundraising, have been a challenge since the creation
of the organization. Other challenges have developed as the organization
has increased its reach and size.
Fundraising will continue to be one of the biggest issues that 5x5x5 will
face. Although the organization has increased its earned income by
providing consulting and Continuing Professional Development services,
much of their work depends on the funding grants they receive. While
5x5x5 is an organization that has proved its value over the last fifteen
years, the fact remains that competition for funding is fierce, and so many
charitable organizations are deserving of grant funding.
5x5x5 also faces the issue of not having their own office space or venue
for which to work. As their number of projects and freelance supporters
increases, they face a growing need to have their own venue for
workshops, exhibitions, educational activities, and meeting and office
spaces.
Additionally, because of the collaborative nature of 5x5x5, the
organization faces a continued challenge of managing so many freelance
and unpaid volunteer staff members. Although volunteers and freelancers
are involved with 5x5x5’s work because they are devoted to the
organization’s mission, they continually have to go above and beyond
their paygrade to ensure all of the necessary work is completed. These
collaborators and volunteers are often also educators, artists, and cultural
leaders who do not have the time available to be the key workforce for
5x5x5.
The lack of defined leadership roles and responsibilities within the
organization’s stakeholders and volunteers also poses a significant
challenge to communication. This lack of communication leads to a
stressful work environment and ambiguity for those involved.
19

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The following questions will be explored further in the accompanying
critical review of the organization:
What future plans does 5x5x5=creativity have to create an actual
working space of their own for workshops, exhibitions, events, etc.?
What is 5x5x5’s role in the collaborative projects in which they are
involved (examples: project coordinators, financial backers, etc.), and
how does that affect the working dynamic of the projects?
How does the lack of a structured leadership hierarchy affect projects
and the organization’s dynamic, both positively and negatively?
If grant funding continues to decrease for 5x5x5, what are their
strategies to continue to be a financially stable organization?
What is the relationship and dynamic between the unpaid volunteers and
5x5x5 for their projects and events, and is the organization sustainable
with the use of so much unpaid support?
20

5x5x5=creativity is a truly innovative organization that serves as a
pioneer for developing creativity in education for children and young
people. After fifteen years of research and collaboration and eight years
as a registered charitable organization, it appears that 5x5x5 is a
sustainable arts and cultural organization.
5x5x5 has an incredible network of stakeholders, collaborators,
volunteers, and advocates, giving them the support they need to continue
to make projects happen. They are nationally recognized as creative and
cultural leaders, and they are leaders in the worldwide conversation about
children’s rights to creative development; however, as 5x5x5’s reach
expands, their need for funding, volunteers, freelance team members, and
space will also increase. 5x5x5 will need to ensure that its strategic plan
continues to develop in response to the many challenges the organization
continues to face.
A critical review of 5x5x5 will be a companion piece to this report. It will
allow for further investigations into the organization. It will also place
the organization in a wider context, exploring its role within the greater
education and arts sectors. For now, however, it is quite easy to conclude
that 5x5x5 is a leader in creative development for children and young
people, as evident by their many years of service, vast number of
supporters, and national recognition.
22

5x5x5=creativity (2008a). 5x5x5 In Practice [Online] Available from:
http://www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk/?id=88 [Accessed 13 April 2015].
5x5x5=creativity (2008b). Case Studies [Online] Available from:
5x5x5=creativity (2008c). Events and Publications [Online] Available
from: http://www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk/?id=108 [Accessed 13 April 2015].
5x5x5=creativity (2008d). Introducing 5x5x5 [Online] Available from:
5x5x5=creativity (2011) Annual Report September 2011 [Online] Available from:
http://www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk/cms/user_files/files/Annual%20Report%202010-
11%20Final%2025.11.11.pdf [Accessed 13 April 2015].
5x5x5=creativity (2012) 2011-12 Annual Report [Online] Available from:
http://www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk/cms/user_files/files/5x5x5=creativity%20report%2
02011-12%20final.pdf [Accessed 13 April 2015].
5x5x5=creativity (2014). People and Partnerships [Online] Available
from: http://www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk/?id=86 [Accessed 13 April 2015].
Arts Council England (2011). ‘Worcestershire County Council receives
grant for visual arts in unusual spaces’ [Online] Available from:
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/arts-council-news/worcestershire-county-council-
receives-grant-visua/ [Access 23 April 2015].
Charity Commission (2014). ‘1122010 – 5x5x5=Creativity’ [Online]
Available from:
http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCha
rities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=112
2010&SubsidiaryNumber=0 [Accessed 23 April 2015].
Drummond, M.J. (2005) Challenges and Changes: 5x5x5 in context.
NESTA. [Online] Available from:
http://www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk/cms/user_files/files/Nesta555Report.pdf [Accessed
13 April 2015].
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (2007) Annual Report and Accounts 2007.

Fawcett, M. and Hay, P. (2004) ‘5x5x5=Creativity in the Early Years’, NSEAD [Online]
Available from: http://217.35.77.12/archive/england/papers/education/pdfs/j.1476-
8070.2004.00403.x.pdf [Accessed 24 April 2015].
Got Lottery (2007a) ‘5x5x5=creativity £28,700 Arts Council England
Grant’ [Online] Available from: http://gotlottery.uk/arts-council-england-5x5x5-
creativity-2-268134 [Accessed 23 April 2015].
Got Lottery (2007b) ‘5x5x5=creativity £9,500 Awards for All (England) Joint
Scheme Grant’ [Online] Available from: http://gotlottery.uk/awards-for- all-england-joint-
scheme-5x5x5-creativity-5-285034 [Accessed 23 April 2015].
Got Lottery (2014) ‘Lottery Grants Awarded to Bath’ [Online] Available
from: http://gotlottery.uk/south-west/bath-and-north-east-somerset/bath [Accessed 21
April 2015].
Hay, P. (2013a) ‘Artspace Bath Project’, The Ragged Project. [Online]
Available from: http://www.ragged-online.com/2013/10/artspace-bath-project-penny-
hay-frsa/ [Accessed 23 April 2015].
Hay, P. (2013b) ‘Artspace Bath: a 4 day contemporary arts event in the
city’, Kickstarter [Online] Available from:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1121676540/artspace-bath-a-4-day-contemporary-
arts-event-in-t/description [Accessed 22 April 2015].
Hay, P. (2015) ‘Forest of Imagination 2015’, Kickstarter [Online]
Available from:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1121676540/forest-of-imagination-
2015/description [Accessed 20 April 2015].
Young, M. (2009) 5x5x5=creativity (A Company Limited by Guarantee) Directors’
Report and Unaudited Accounts for the period ended 31 August 2009. [Online]
Available from:
http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends10/0001122010_AC_20090831_E
_C.PDF [Accessed 23 April 2015].
Young, M. (2014) 5x5x5=creativity Trustees’ Report and Unaudited
Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2013. [Online]
Available from:
http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends10/0001122010_AC_20130831_E
_C.pdf [Accessed 23 April 2015].

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