Baltic Endowment Fund
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is announcing a major donation from North East musician Sting that kickstarts a fundraising campaign for an Endowment Fund.
Having welcomed our 10 millionth visitor in April 2025, Baltic is looking to the future with an ambitious initiative to fundraise a £10 million Endowment Fund to sustain creative futures on Tyneside.
We’re launching our first ever Endowment. We want to raise 10 million by 2030 to support Creative Futures in Perpetuity.
Since 2002, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has stood as an iconic landmark and much-loved gallery, on the NewcastleGateshead quayside. We are the largest art gallery in the UK without a permanent collection, free to access and receive over 400,000 visits each year.
We capture the public’s imagination with our dynamic mix of awe-inspiring exhibitions, community gatherings, and opportunities to learn. Fiercely proud of our Tyneside location and its history of innovation and creativity, we envision creating a future that honours that past. We want to nurture the creative spark in young people from the North East so they can be optimistic about their future.
Now at a critical point in our story, our ability to do this is under threat. The challenges of rising costs and an ageing building is undermining Baltic’s charitable mission – threatening our offer not just for current communities, but also for generations to come.
In April 2025, we welcomed the 10 millionth visitor through our doors. Celebrating this milestone, but looking to the future, we are launching a £10 million Baltic Endowment Fund to sustain creative futures on Tyneside.
For more information on supporting Baltic's Endowment Fund contact Rebecca Surtees-Brown [javascript protected email address]
Endowment Fundraising Gala
Supported by Sting
30 October 2025
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
Gateshead | 18:30-00.00
- Welcome Drinks Reception
- Nadine Shah - performance
- Fine Dining
- Silent/Live Auction of unique experiences and art
- Sting - intimate music performance and Q&A
To buy a table or discuss sponsorship opportunities contact: Rebecca Surtees-Brown rebeccasb@balticmill.com
The Endowment will raise funds for
Children, Young People & the Arts
Baltic inspires the next generation of artists by empowering children and young people to experience art, create art and enhance their confidence, skills and wellbeing.
We build lifelong engagement, creating clear stepping stones from early engagement with young people via local schools, to supported opportunities and pathways into creative careers. 29% of our visitors are aged below 24, and 41% are Family groups. Annually, Baltic engages 183,000 children and young people through activities and programmes that enhance their confidence, skills, and wellbeing.
At a time when arts education has been reduced in schools, Baltic provide a powerful alternative with high quality accessible programmes. But this is financially unsustainable.
Due to rising costs and diminished funding, our ability to deliver this is significantly under threat. The Endowment will sustain a future of creative opportunities for children and young people on Tyneside.
UK & International Leadership in Art
Baltic’s daring exhibition programme focusses on new work, platforming local, national and international artists through twelve annual commissions. We have exhibited over 850 artists from 78 nationalities, including world renowned names Martin Boyce, Antony Gormley, Yoko Ono, and Jenny Holzer.
We exceed artists’ aspirations in realising exhibitions of considerable scale and impact. We create a step change moment in artist’s careers, with Joy Labinjo, Holly Hendry, George Shaw and Heather Phillipson being key examples.
On a hyper local level, our bi-annual Baltic Open Submission exhibition offers a platform for North East based artists and creatives. We provide tools, support, and opportunities for artists to experiment, innovate and develop.
The money we can spend on the artistic programme is depleting year on year due to rising costs. The Endowment will secure continued international leadership in contemporary art and an unrivalled reputation of innovative exhibition-making.
An iconic much-loved building
Baltic’s landmark heritage building came from Tyneside’s industrial past. A former flour mill, it now stands as an icon of regional pride and a beacon of hope comprising four galleries, community spaces, library, sensory room, cafe, shop and rooftop restaurant. And breathtaking views of the Quayside.
A long-term commitment to environmental impact and climate action underpins all our operations. We are also a home to four rooftop beehives and the most inland kittiwake colony in the world. The building is a recognised Warm Space, a Gallery of Sanctuary and welcomes all to learn, play, eat, shop, celebrate, or even get married. Our free breakfast clubs and family activities have queues waiting for the doors to open.
98% of our visitors agree that Baltic is inclusive of gender, age, race, disability, sexual orientation or income. We are the most visited Free Cultural venue in the North East. 25 years on from the conversion, we have received 10 million visits to our much-loved building. We want to keep the doors open for free for all time.
Rising costs and critical repairs challenge our commitment to free entry to our building. The Endowment will safeguard a sustainable future for visitors to connect with creativity in an inspiring iconic building.
Connected Communities & Creative Wellbeing
Baltic believes in the power of art and creativity to bring joy, build bridges and connect communities. In our region 62,000 people endure generational poverty and deprivation and hate crime is on the rise.
Front Room is a unique community space overlooking the River Tyne, welcoming 45,000 visitors annually. We make a difference addressing food insecurity with a free Breakfast Club, serving over 3800 visitors to date. Front Room provides packed lunch space, free Wi-Fi and has served 200,000 free hot drinks since 2021. Its inspiring social programme includes Book Clubs, Litter Picks and Sewing Bees that forge friendships, develop skills and improve confidence through creativity and kind conversation.
As the first ever Gallery of Sanctuary in England, we lead with kindness and create spaces where people from all backgrounds can connect, promoting unity and solidarity. We collaborate on ambitious partnership projects with local charities, organisations and universities. This includes North East Young Dads and Lads, who through our partner project Birds, Bees, Bikes & Trees enable young Fathers to build skills and connect with supportive networks.
Lack of resources means this community space and its dedicated activities are under threat. The Endowment will ensure we can encourage creative wellbeing and enhanced support for our communities.
Sting backs Baltic with major donation to kickstart £10 Million Endowment Fund
Baltic has announced a major donation from North East musician Sting that kickstarts the art gallery’s fundraising campaign for a £10 million Endowment Fund to sustain creative futures on Tyneside.
