Glossary of Terms

ACE – Arts Council England
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. They help people in every corner of the country to experience and benefit from creativity, and they do this by investing in artists and organisations that make and deliver exceptional, inspirational work for their communities.

Apprenticeship
A paid job that combines practical work experience with structured training, allowing people to earn while they learn. 

ARC – Anti Racist Cumbria
A Cumbria-based charity that works to tackle and end racism through action and education.  The organisation’s aim is to make Cumbria the UK’s first actively anti-racist county.  

AIM – Association of Independent Museums
A UK organisation that supports independent museums, galleries and heritage organisations through training, advice, advocacy and resources. 

CACN – Cumbria Arts and Culture Network
Cumbria Arts and Culture Network is a network for arts and cultural organisations and individual creative practitioners based in, or connected to, Cumbria. CACN is the organisation behind the See It To Be It project.

Commission
A paid opportunity where an individual or organisation is paid to create a specific piece of work, project, event or artwork. 

CPD – Continuing Professional Development
Learning activities that help people develop and improve their professional skills, knowledge and experience throughout their careers. 

Creative Industries
The sectors of the economy that are based on creativity, culture, intellectual property and talent. This includes areas such as music, film, design, publishing, museums, crafts, gaming and performing arts. 

CPP – Creative People and Places
Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places projects focus on parts of the country where involvement in creativity and culture is significantly below the national average. It funds partners in local areas to empower residents to decide what kind of creative activity they want to experience on their doorstep. They are funding 46 Creative People and Places Programmes across England from April 2026, 16 of them in the North.

Creative Practitioner
A broad term for someone who works creatively such as an artist, musician, writer, filmmaker, designer, performer or maker. 

Cumbria Community Foundation
The Cumbria Community Foundation is an independent, award-winning, grant making charity dedicated to meeting the needs in communities by providing financial support to local charities and voluntary organisations as well as supporting individuals in Cumbria.

DCMS – Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The UK Government department responsible for policies relating to culture, arts, heritage, media, sport and the creative industries. 

DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service
A system that helps organisations make safer recruitment decisions by checking whether someone has a criminal record or is barred from working with certain groups. 

DYCP – Developing Your Creative Practice
A funding programme from Arts Council England that supports creative and cultural practitioners to develop their skills, knowledge and practice. It is designed to help individuals explore new ideas, learn, take creative risks, and progress their careers. 

EDI – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
In the culture sector, this means creating a fair and equitable environment where all creative voices can be heard and different perspectives valued.  It involves removing barriers to entry, supporting and reflecting different cultures and creating opportunities for everyone to engage with and participate in arts and creativity.  

Freelancer
Someone who is self-employed and works independently for different clients or organisations, often on short-term projects or contracts. 

Full Cost Recovery
This is the practice of securing funding for all the costs involved in running a project. This means requesting funding for direct project costs (like staff salaries, travel and materials) and for a proportionate share of an organisation’s overheads (such as rent, electricity, IT costs).  It is a way of helping to secure an organisation’s financial sustainability.  

MDO – Museum Development Officer
A professional who supports museums by providing advice, training and guidance on areas such as collections, governance, audiences and organisational development. Cumbria is covered by MDOs working for Museum Development North.   

NLHF – National Lottery Heritage Fund
An organisation that distributes National Lottery funding to support heritage projects across the UK, including museums, landscapes, historic buildings and community heritage initiatives. 

NPO – National Portfolio Organisation
NPOs are recognised and funded by Arts Council England as leaders in the arts and culture sector, with a collective responsibility to develop national arts and cultural ecology. NPO status demonstrates the value that places bring to cultural life, events, and artistic activity to showcase each location to residents and visitors, with commitment and passion. NPOs normally receive three years of guaranteed investment from Arts Council England to sustain and grow such activity, also enabling planning further ahead into the future.

Producer
A person who plans, manages and delivers projects in the creative and cultural industries. Producers often coordinate people, budgets, schedules, partnerships and resources to bring ideas to life. 

Project Grant
Funding that helps pay for a specific creative project, activity or idea. A project grant can be used to cover costs such as materials, equipment, venue hire, travel and people’s time, helping creatives and organisations turn their ideas into reality. 

POC – Proof of Concept
An early demonstration or test that shows whether an idea, product or project is practical and likely to work. 

R&D – Research and Development
A process of exploring, testing and developing new ideas, approaches or products. In the creative sector, R&D often involves experimentation before creating a final piece of work. 

Residency
A creative residency provides artists, writers, designers, musicians, filmmakers, and other creatives with uninterrupted time and a supportive environment to develop their projects. Residencies can last from a few weeks to several months and are designed to help participants concentrate fully on their creative work without the distractions of daily life or traditional employment obligations.  They can often take place in specific location or venue.  

ROI – Return on Investment
A way of measuring the value or benefit gained from an investment of time, money or resources. 

Self Assessment Tax return
A form submitted by anyone self-employed (i.e. not employed by an organisation) to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that reports income, expenses and other financial information so the correct amount of tax can be calculated and paid. 

Sgraffito
An artistic technique where layers of material are scratched through to reveal a contrasting layer beneath, creating patterns, textures or images.  

SITBI – See It To Be It
See It To Be It is a project funded by Arts Council England and run by Cumbria Arts and Culture Network. The goal of See It To Be It is to help more young Cumbrians build careers in the creative industries.

Social prescribing
An approach that connects people to activities, groups and services in their local community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and well being.  As an example, a GP or other health worker might refer someone suffering from depression to a local charity that runs a choir, as a way of helping the individual make connections, feel part of a community and benefit from creative activity.  

Sole trader
A person who runs their own business as an individual rather than as a company. They are responsible for managing their finances, paying tax, and keeping business records. 

UTR – Unique Taxpayer Reference
A 10-digit number issued by HMRC to people and businesses registered for Self-Assessment. It is used to identify you for tax purposes. 

UGC – User-Generated Content
Content created and shared by members of the public rather than by an organisation. Examples include social media posts, reviews, photos and videos.