Positive about equal opportunities kitemark

Does your group promote equal opportunities?

Most music groups would say that their activities are open to anyone, but there are often still unintentional barriers preventing some people from taking part. How can you ensure that you have taken reasonable steps to remove these barriers? How could you prove this, for example, when you are applying for funding?

Making Music regularly offers training and information to its members in promoting equal opportunities. Check out Making Music events, or consult your Development Officer or our suite of information sheets in the Resources section to find out more.

Good equal opportunities policy is a requirement of most funding bodies – many of the grants available to arts organisations, including the Lottery, are public money, and funders are anxious to ensure that they will be used to benefit everyone.

Good equal opportunities practice can also improve your efficiency as an organisation, the quality of your management, the range and quality of your group's artistic output and your relationship with audiences, artists, staff and volunteers.

positive about equal opportunities kitemark

Making Music's positive about equal opportunities kitemark provides a check list for member groups to assess whether there are further steps they could take with regard to equal opportunities.

For those member organisations who have taken these steps, it also provides an indication to others that you are positive about equal opportunities.

To check whether your group could qualify to use this kitemark, go through the checklist in Information Sheet 45d: 'positive about equal opportunities' kitemark. If your group can respond positively to all nine questions then you can apply to use the kitemark. If successful, you will be entitled to display the kitemark on your posters, leaflets and programmes.

Read a selection of case studies from member groups holding this award to find out more about best practice in the area equal opportunities.