ArtsFunded guide

Evaluation for ACE: Practical Methods That Don’t Drain Time

How to evaluate your Arts Council England Project Grant without wasting hours. Simple, reliable methods and templates you can use instantly.

Published 2025-11-11 · By ArtsFunded editorial team

!Simple evaluation tools including checklists, sticky notes, and a pen on a light desk

TL;DR

Keep evaluation light, honest, and closely linked to your outcomes.
Short feedback loops, headline numbers, and a few quotes can cover everything ACE needs.
Build the plan early so each session takes minutes to document and analyse.

Evaluation is one of the most misunderstood parts of the Arts Council England Project Grant. Many applicants either overcomplicate it with heavy reports or treat it as an afterthought. Neither helps your case.

ACE does not want bulky documents. They want clear evidence that you delivered what you promised and learned something useful. A simple evaluation plan can take minutes per session and still give you solid data for your final report.

This guide shows you practical, time saving ways to evaluate workshops, performances, and community projects without drowning in admin.

More ACE guides → Browse ACE posts

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What is Arts Council England?

Arts Council England (ACE) is the national body that funds and supports the arts, museums, and libraries across England. It distributes money from the National Lottery and the government to help creative projects benefit the public. ACE’s National Lottery Project Grants programme supports artists, organisations, and community groups to deliver work that brings creativity to local audiences. Whether you are a theatre company, visual artist, or community collective, Project Grants can fund research, creation, touring, or engagement activity that shows clear public benefit and leads to a strong artistic outcome.

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What funders want from your evaluation

Evidence that shows your outcomes happened.
A clear link between what you planned and what changed.
Brief, honest reflections about what worked and what you would adapt.
A sense of public benefit through feedback, quotes, or stats.
Accessibility and inclusion data where relevant.
No bulky reports unless they add real value.

Try ArtsFunded: Build simple evaluation plans and final reports matched to ACE expectations.

Plan your project now →

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Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Collecting too much data.

Fix: Only evaluate the outcomes you wrote in your application.

Asking long or complex questions.

Fix: Use three to five questions that map directly to what you want to measure.

Leaving evaluation to the end.

Fix: Collect short check ins after each workshop or event.

No method to reach quieter participants.

Fix: Offer anonymous response cards or one to one chats.

Forgetting to collect postcode data.

Fix: Ask for it at sign up. ACE uses this to understand reach and local engagement.

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The step by step framework

These steps work for any project, from workshops to performances to exhibitions.

1) Start with your outcomes

Make a list of your three to five outcomes. Every evaluation question must link to one of these.

Example: If an outcome is increased confidence, your question might be: “How confident do you feel after taking part in this workshop?”

2) Choose two or three short methods

Pick methods that suit your audience and setting. For most projects, this is enough:

A quick survey with three questions
A short feedback chat or voice note
Headcounts and sign up data
A few quotes pulled from participants
One reflective debrief with your team

You do not need both long surveys and interviews. Choose the simplest combination that gives clear evidence.

3) Make your questions easy to answer

Use short scales or simple tick boxes. Good examples include:

“I enjoyed taking part today.” (Yes, somewhat, no)
“I learned something new.” (Yes, somewhat, no)
“I feel more confident to create or take part in the arts.” (Scale of 1 to 5)
“What is one thing you liked?” (One line box)
“Is there anything we could improve?” (One line box)

Aim for a 30 second completion time.

4) Build in mini debriefs

At the end of each session or event, gather your team for a five minute debrief. Ask:

What worked
What did not
What needs adjusting
Any quotes or standout moments

These notes become gold for your final report.

5) Track basic numbers

For ACE, numbers matter, but they do not need to be perfect science. Record:

Attendance
Repeat visitors
Postcodes
Access needs
Demographics where appropriate

A simple spreadsheet is all you need.

6) Gather a handful of strong quotes

Aim for three to six quotes from participants or audience members. Choose ones that:

Show impact
Reflect your outcomes
Speak to inclusion or accessibility
Feel genuine, not scripted

7) Summarise your learning

At the end of the project, pull everything together into a short summary:

What you achieved
What you learned
What you would do differently
How this supports your future development

This becomes your final ACE report.

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Quick practical methods that save hours

Micro surveys on paper

Three questions on half a sheet of A5. People fill them in while waiting for something else.

Dot voting

Use sticky dots on a poster with statements such as “I enjoyed today” or “I would like to take part again”. Great for young audiences or non English speakers.

Feedback postcards

Participants write one sentence each. These are great for exhibitions and performances.

Audio notes

Some audiences prefer to talk rather than write. Offer a phone voice note booth or a simple dictation option.

Post it reflections

Stick three thoughts on a board: “What helped”, “What could improve”, “What I learned”.

Team WhatsApp or Notion evaluation log

After each session, your team drops in one line: “One thing that worked, one thing that did not.” This builds your reflection automatically.

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Example evaluation plan you can adapt

Outcome 1: Increase confidence among participants Method: 1 to 5 confidence scale before and after workshops Evidence: 70 percent reported an increase of at least one point

Outcome 2: Engage new audiences in Malvern Method: Postcode collection and attendance tracking Evidence: 43 percent of attendees were new to the venue

Outcome 3: Improve access for disabled audiences Method: Quote collection and short access survey Evidence: “The captions and relaxed environment helped me stay for the whole show.”

Team learning: Future events should start with a short welcome and access briefing. More social time after events would help early arrivals feel included.

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Copy paste evaluation template

```md

Evaluation Plan

Outcomes:

[Outcome]
[Outcome]
[Outcome]

Methods:

Short survey with three questions
Attendance and postcode tracking
Quote collection
Team debrief notes

Measurement:

Scales from 1 to 5
Yes or no answers
One line reflections
Basic spreadsheets for totals

Learning:

What worked
What could improve
How this shapes future plans

```

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