The National Funding Scheme that enables people to make mobile phone donations to UK arts and heritage organisations launched on 27^th March.

The scheme will be known as DONATE, and  is currently running in partnership with 11 organisations: Almeida Theatre; BALTIC; Holburne Museum; Kala Sangam; National Portrait Gallery; National Trust; Octagon Theatre; Phoenix Dance Company; Science Museum; Southbank Centre; and Victoria and Albert Museum. The plan is for the scheme to be rolled out nationally at the end of 2013.

The initiative was first announced last summer by Jeremy Hunt in his capacity as Secretary of State for Culture. It will allow people to make a donation through digital channels after identifying causes and campaigns chosen by the participating cultural institutions. Using a mobile phone a visitor will be able to make a donation by text/SMS, credit/debit card or PayPal. Contactless payments, similar to Oyster cards on the London underground and offered by many major financial institutions, will also be possible.

This method of donating allows donors to give at the moment of greatest ‘connection’ – for example after having attended a performance or exhibition or having visited a site of historical importance.

The National Funding Scheme also announced the appointment of its first CEO; Paul Cutts, a Clore Fellow. He will join in May from the Exhibition Road Cultural Group where he has been CEO for the last four years overseeing the £25m redevelopment of Exhibition Road on behalf of the institutions in the area.

Patrons of the scheme include Lord Smith of Finsbury PC, Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, Martha Lane Fox, CBE and Christopher Rodrigues CBE. It has also received early stage support and encouragement from Sir Peter Bazalgette, Sir Vernon Ellis, Sir Tom Hughes Hallett, Sir John Ritblat and many others.

The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Paul Ruddock Arts Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Nesta provided grants for the National Funding Scheme’s further development.