BFI FAN Evaluation Project Tender

Salary: £30,000 to £40,000 fee

The BFI Film Audience Network (or FAN) was originally set up in 2012, using funds from the National Lottery, to support a stronger and more connected approach to growing audiences for British and international film on the big screen. It divided film exhibition activity in the UK into regions, each led by a regional Film Hub.

Since 2017, FAN is part of the BFI’s five-year plan BFI2022 and central to BFI2022’s commitment to give everyone, everywhere in the UK the opportunity to enjoy and learn from the richest and most diverse range of great British and international filmmaking, past, present and future.

The eight regional Film Hubs (Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, North, Midlands, London, South West & South East) work with their members (cinemas, film festivals, film clubs and other exhibition organisations) to deliver programmes of creative, accessible and culturally ambitious film screenings and events to meet the priorities of BFI FAN.

The priorities for FAN under BFI2022 are to:

• Increase access to a wide range of independent British and international film for audiences – especially those outside London
• Extend engagement with BFI supported activities across the UK and enhance the quality and cultural depth of audience experience
• Increase access to the UK’s screen heritage especially via the BFI’s National Film and TV Archive and those of the regions and nations
• Enhance the quality of audience-facing activity, deepen knowledge and build capability in its membership
• To do this with a particular emphasis on increasing the diversity of audiences and boosting the number of 16-30 year olds engaging with film activity.

Each Hub has a UK-wide area of responsibility and Film Hub South East’s is to provide a clear and objective picture of FAN’s effectiveness in achieving its outcomes and reaching its target audiences.

Consequently we are seeking a consultant or research and evaluation company to undertake an independent evaluation of the BFI Film Audience Network’s (BFI FAN) activities, in order to provide an objective assessment of their effectiveness in achieving the BFI FAN outcomes and associated BFI2022 outcomes.

Data collected to support the evaluation will include quantitative and qualitative data on member activity as well as data and information from:

• Member activity audiences
• Members participating in UK-wide FAN projects
• Members on Film Hub activity

Required deliverables include:

1. One mid-term report providing analysis and learnings from the above data on the effectiveness of BFI FAN in achieving its outcomes in the first six months (April – September 2018) of operation. The deadline for the report is the end of October 2018.
2. Presentation of the mid-term report at a BFI FAN Steering Group meeting in November 2018.
3. One end-of-year report providing analysis and learnings from the above data on the effectiveness of BFI FAN in achieving its outcomes in the first year (April 2018 – March 2019) of operation. The deadline for the report is the beginning of May 2019.
4. Presentation of the end-of-year report at a BFI FAN Steering Group meeting in June 2019
5. Guidance on any additional recommended research and evaluation to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of BFI FAN in its success at meeting its objectives and for demonstrating the impact that BFI FAN has on audiences.

Who can apply and what expertise are we looking for?

We are open to proposals from freelance consultants or research and evaluation companies. The proponent must have demonstrable experience of evaluating cultural activity using a range of research methodologies.

Consultant proposal

We would like to see a proposal of how you would approach this project, how you will provide the deliverables, advice on any further research and evaluation that will need to be undertaken and costings.

Download the full brief, including details of how to apply.

The closing date for this position is 07/09/2018 at 23:59