ABOUT US
SMART exists to ensure that young people in Suffolk have access to arts opportunities to enrich their lives. We provide funding to help Suffolk’s young people access high-quality music and arts opportunities. We raise these funds by bringing together the skills, passion and experience of our supporters and alumni.
We strongly believe that all young people should have access to artistic opportunities, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, class, disability, religious beliefs, race or ethnicity.
We are a small charity, set up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2018, following a concert which brought together 74 past and current members of Suffolk Youth Music ensembles to celebrate Philip Shaw’s retirement as Head of Suffolk's County Music Service.
We are run entirely by volunteers. Our roots are in music, growing out of our close links with the Suffolk County Music Service, and we embrace all forms of arts. Our trustees are located in Suffolk, across the UK and Finland, and have a range of connections to Suffolk, music, education and the arts.
We have built our funds through a variety of events and member-driven fundraising initiatives: one highlight was playing at Latitude Festival with an orchestra made up of our members.
Since 2020 we have been able to offer funding: we have now supported over 90 talented and committed young people in need of financial support, through over £50,000 in grants and scholarships. We have a strong pipeline of grant applicants in need of support (we had applications seeking £60,000 in grants during 2024/25). Our focus is now on growing our funds and our membership to enable us to support more of Suffolk’s young people across a wide range of arts opportunities.
Our current board consists of 10 elected trustees, 2 nominated trustees, and 2 youth trustees. Trustees are located in Suffolk, across the UK and Finland, and have a range of connections to Suffolk, music, education and the arts. We are currently recruiting for new trustees - find out more here.