The Fellowship program of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) was created in 1999 with UK Lottery money to be a unique funding opportunity for exceptional individuals, providing them with the time, space and resources to pursue creative goals.

AEA was commissioned in 2004 to evaluate the program’s effectiveness in meeting its strategic objective of a broad impact onc creativity and economic vibrancy in the UK through grants to individuals. Our work included: designing a framework for measuring the impact of grants over time on the individual, his or her field, and on society at large; a scan of effective approaches to supporting creativity; an analysis of lingering barriers to innovation and creativity; and detailed recommendations suggesting how NESTA might have greater strategic impact on the creative sector and society.

Informed by our work, NESTA has reformed the way in which is supports creativity and innovation as a whole, and revamped its funding program in order to leverage its investments more effectively.

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