Trustee with arts & culture experience

Job Summary

We're seeking a trustee with experience in arts, culture, philanthropy or charity governance to complete the board of a new international arts charity supporting emerging artists.

Job Description

As a trustee you'll play an essential role in shaping the early direction of ellipse art projects UK and helping us open new opportunities for emerging artists from Southeast Asia, Africa, in the UK.

This year, we're launching our UK charity alongside our existing French endowment fund, submitting our registration to the Charity Commission, and preparing our first major partnership with a cultural non profit organisation in London. The board will lead these foundational decisions. For this reason, we're looking for a trustee with experience in UK charity governance, ideally in the arts or culture sector. If you have set up or grown a UK charity before, even better.

Our board is intentionally small: three to four trustees, meeting two to three times per year (in person or online). We are just starting out and hoping to build a friendly, engaged and collaborative board, one that combines the strategic ambition of our founders with the calm, informed guidance of experienced trustees like you.

The mandate is three years, renewable.

Job Requirements

We are looking for someone who has already been a trustee (or held a senior role) in a UK-registered charity, and who understands the practical realities of Charity Commission compliance, annual reporting, and financial oversight.

- Previous experience of UK charity governance, ideally as a trustee, chair or company secretary
- Familiarity with Charity Commission processes, HMRC Gift Aid and standard charity policies

Highly valued:
- A background in arts, culture, philanthropy or the wider non-profit sector
- Experience of small charities at start-up stage, or of charities working with international artists
- Familiarity with the UK contemporary art scene and its institutions

Nice to have:
- Experience of grant-making, fundraising from UK foundations, or corporate philanthropy
-Prior involvement with Africa or Southeast Asia through work, travel or personal interest

Job Responsibilities

Your experience will help us make the transition from a French endowment fund with international ambition to a fully operational UK charity. Concretely, you will help us:

- Meet Charity Commission expectations from day one
- Access UK-specific funding (Gift Aid, UK foundations, corporate philanthropy)
- Launch our first partnerships on solid governance foundations
- Build long-term credibility with UK cultural institutions and funders

For the artists we support, this means more opportunities to develop and present work in London and stronger international visibility.

Job Overview

Job Title: Trustee with arts & culture experience
Salary: Unpaid
Hours: Part time
Artform: Charity
Role: Admin, Secretarial & PA
Contract: Hybrid
Closing date: Wed, 30 Sep 2026
Location: Remote

How to Apply

We aim to appoint our final trustee by early October, to submit our Charity Commission registration this autumn. In your application, please tell us briefly:
- about your experience of UK charity governance
- why this mission resonates with you

A CV or LinkedIn profile is helpful; no formal cover letter required.

Process:
1. We review applications on a rolling basis and respond to every applicant within one week
2. Shortlisted candidates will have an informal video call with our founder
3. Our chosen candidate will complete the standard trustee eligibility checks before appointment is confirmed

We are happy to share our draft constitution, trustee presentation and programme plans with shortlisted candidates, so you can make a fully informed decision before committing.
Questions before applying? Feel free to get in touch, we will be glad to answer.

Application deadline: 30.09.2026 midnight

About ellipse art projects

ellipse art projects is an international non-profit dedicated to supporting the recognition, mobility and professional development of emerging artists from underrepresented regions of the world, particularly Africa and Southeast Asia.

We operate as a French endowment fund established in Paris in 2020 and we are now setting up a UK charity ellipse art projects UK, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, to extend our mission through UK-based partnerships and programmes.

Find out more