The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch was established in 1956. In 1958 it asked Lord Bridges, The Countess of Albemarle, Noel Annan and Sir George Barnes to review the needs of the arts in Britain so that the Foundation might formulate a policy for their support.

The result was Help for the Arts, a seminal report which shaped the Foundation’s grant-giving policy for years to come and had a significant impact on the whole cultural infrastructure of Britain. Not only did the report suggest innovations such as artists’ residencies (at the time, a radical idea), help for artists in mid-career, purchasing and commissioning schemes for new work, the need for a National Opera School and so on, it adopted a nationwide, non-metropolitan outlook that led in particular to the formation of the Regional Arts Associations and established the long tradition of the Foundation giving help to projects well away from the main centres of influence.

Divided into two sections, Help for the Arts first examines general issues and then considers the particular needs of different sectors of the arts and how a trust might support them. It remains a fascinating document in the history of the arts in Britain.