Artists’ studio founder faced countless ‘rejections’ when first seeking philanthropy

The co-founder of a charity providing artists with workspace has said “private introductions” from big name creatives helped his organisation secure the philanthropy necessary to purchase a former factory.

David Panton, who established Acme in 1972 with the late Jonathan Harvey, said he had initially feared he wouldn’t be able to permanently acquire the Deptford premises his organisation had rented for artists since the 1990s.

The team had set about trying to purchase the building outright ahead of a December 2025 deadline, when the lease was due to end.

The charity has since successfully acquired Acme Propeller Factory, with the help of funding including a £250,000 injection by the Greater London Authority, and £2.5 million from the Julia Rausing Trust, among other grants, donations, and individual instances of support.

But Panton told Arts Professional: “When we first knew we had to raise money to buy this, we went, of course, to English Heritage, the Arts Council, etc. We tried every single institutional source of funding, and we’ve had money in different bits from people.

“We also had 37 rejections. We were beginning to think, ‘we’re not ever going to get this, are we?’”

His comments come as he steps back from his executive role to focus on his duties as chair of the Acme board, after more than five decades at the helm of the organisation.

‘Everyone has to start somewhere’

Panton said he had a brainwave when he decided to approach artists who were members of the Royal Academy, knowing that “at some point in their career, they would have struggled, and would have had to start somewhere”.

A number of Royal Academicians had even had a “direct association” with Acme’s work providing artists with studio space.

In the end, Panton said he received a “private introduction” to the Julia Rausing Foundation.

“They’d never heard of me before in their life,” he said.

Panton said the situation had demonstrated the importance of approaching those who have succeeded in their careers and who may wish to “give back”.

“There’s mileage there,” he said, in contacting those with “connections” likely to support philanthropic giving.

‘No city like London’

Panton was speaking at an event held today (15 January) at Acme Propeller Factory to mark the Mayor of London’s £2.2m in funding for Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZs).

According to the Mayor’s office, CEZs including Croydon, Lambeth, and Hammersmith and Fulham are now supporting some 1,500 small creative businesses across the capital.

One artist who has benefitted from Acme Propeller Factory specifically is sculptor Mark Firth, who has used the Deptford studios since Acme first began renting the building in 1991.

He told Arts Professional he felt there was “certainly no city commensurate with London” when it came to supporting the work of artists and a creative ecosystem.