PRS Foundation Chair Vacancy 2019
PRS Foundation is the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development. They invest in the future of music by enabling songwriters and composers of all backgrounds to make exceptional music which is celebrated across the world.
They were established in 2000 by their core donor, PRS for Music, which is the UK’s collecting society for songwriters, composers and publishers. Since then, PRS Foundation has given more than £29.5m to over 6,300 new music initiatives by awarding grants and leading partnership programmes which are supporting and transforming opportunities for UK music creators. Recent developments include their delivery of Momentum, a £500k talent development fund, which they launched with Arts Council England, and their leadership of the Creative Europe-funded Keychange project, which invests in emerging female talent whilst encouraging festivals to sign up to a 50:50 gender balance pledge by 2022.
They receive an annual donation of £3m from PRS for Music and they raise up to £1.5m per year. This is from a wide range of partners who share their commitment to supporting the diverse talented music creators who contribute to the global reputation of the UK’s music industry.
They are proud to be known for their reach, their proactive and adventurous approach and for their impact on the creative and business development of the organisations and people they fund. Over the past 10 years they have tripled the number of grants awarded and increased their income by over 200%. In 2014, their New Music Biennial programme was recognised with a Royal Philharmonic Society Award. In 2017, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) music creators made up 39% of their music creator grantees and female music creators featured in 53% of the applications they supported. In 2018, Music Week selected PRS Foundation for its Outstanding Contribution to Charity Award.
They are based in Kings Cross in the offices of PRS for Music. Current Artist Ambassadors include Judith Weir (Master of the Queen’s Music), Talvin Singh, Shirley Manson, Dua Lipa and Shabaka Hutchings. Current Industry Ambassadors include Ayesha Hazarika, Paulette Long, Emily Eavis, Dermot O’Leary and Tony Visconti.
Role specification
PRS Foundation are seeking a new Chair who will work with the Chief Executive and Board to steer this pioneering Foundation through its 20th Anniversary in 2020, as it seeks to innovate and extend its UK and international impact.
During this exciting phase in the Foundation’s development they would like a Chair who opens doors to new contacts from across the public and private sectors, encourages the Foundation’s entrepreneurial spirit and increases their influence on relevant government and other funding policies.
As Chair, the successful candidate will be leading a Board of up to 15 Trustees and maintaining good governance in accordance with Charity Commission law. They will also be helping PRS Foundation to maintain a strong working relationship with their key stakeholders, including PRS and PPL (collecting societies for songwriters, composers and performers) and other industry / public sector partners.
The Chair will serve a three-year term, with the possibility to extend the term of office for a further three years. Ideally, the candidate will join the board in early 2019, taking up the position of Chair by June 2019, after a handover period with the current Chair.
Person specification
The new Chair will have a passion for talent development and new music but is not necessarily expected to have professional experience in these sectors. All Trustees are invited to attend music events funded by the Foundation, providing opportunities to network, learn about and enjoy a wide variety of music genres.
Required competencies sought:
Fundraising: The successful candidate will have strong networks and experience of raising funds / investment from public or private sector
Leadership: The successful candidate will have a strong track record as Board or Project Chair, in public or private sector
Fit with the Foundation’s mission: The successful candidate will recognise the importance of enabling musicians of all backgrounds to realise their potential
Other attributes sought:
- Experience of charity governance
- Experience of supporting organisation and business development
- Knowledge of alternative business models e.g. social enterprise, micro-loans
- Diversity: PRS Foundation is particularly interested in applications from female and BAME candidates to further increase the diversity of their Board. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process.Required for this role
- Fundraising The successful candidate will have strong networks and experience of raising funds / investment from public or private sector. Please summarise your most relevant experience.
- Leadership The successful candidate will have a strong track record and leadership skills as Board or Project Chair, in public or private sector. Please summarise your most relevant experience.Board composition
Up to 50% of the Foundation’s Board are also Directors of PRS for Music (their core donor). Five of their current Trustees are members of the PRS for Music Board. Seven are independent including a lawyer, two independent entrepreneurs with expertise in other creative industries, one management consultant, one composer and one media and communications expert.PRS Foundation’s current Chair and Trustees can be viewed here.
Remuneration
The position is unpaid. Reasonable expenses will be covered.
Process
This process is being run in-house by the Nominations Committee of PRS Foundation, which consists of four Foundation Trustees in collaboration with the CEO. Applications will be viewed by the Nominations Committee without edits. We therefore advise applicants to avoid using ‘see CV’ or ‘please call me to discuss further’ in your application as it may restrict your chances of successfully progressing to the next round.