- Eight ambitious culture and community projects awarded
£300,000 funding through the new Collaborate fund
- Investment will drive innovation, inclusion, and cross-sector
collaboration across Greater Manchester's cultural sector
- Projects will empower communities, boost creativity, and
promote cultural engagement across the city-region
Following a competitive application process, the Greater
Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has announced £300,000 of
funding for eight culture, creative and heritage projects from
across the city-region through the brand new Collaborate
fund.
The fund is designed to help organisations and individuals work
together in new and innovative ways to strengthen Greater
Manchester's cultural sector.
All eight projects selected to receive investment support the
fund's aims to drive economic growth, empower communities, spark
creativity, and promote inclusive, safe environments. As a
collective, the projects represent a wide-reaching geographic
spread of impact and delivery across Greater Manchester.
Funding awarded to each project was based on the amount applied
for, whilst also ensuring that all eight projects created a
portfolio that best delivered the fund's themes.
Councillor Neil Emmott, Greater Manchester Lead for
Culture, said: “The Collaborate fund is all about
connection - bringing together communities, local authorities,
cultural organisations and individuals to work in new and
creative ways. This investment is a great example of how we can
use culture to build stronger partnerships and tackle shared
challenges.
“By supporting collaboration across sectors and places, we're
helping to create a more inclusive and joined-up cultural
landscape across Greater Manchester.”
The fund is part of a wider ambition to embed culture into all
aspects of life in Greater Manchester and to ensure the benefits
of creative engagement span across the city-region in an
inclusive manner.
The eight successful projects are:
-
Castlefield Gallery - ANEW Decade: A long-term
residency programme embedding visual art within substance-use
recovery and wider community activities, aiming to inspire
creative engagement and personal transformation.
-
Greater Manchester Arts Sustainability Network
(GMAST): Evolving from a voluntary group into a formal
co-operative, GMAST will lead on environmental responsibility
within Greater Manchester's cultural sector.
-
Hope Mill Theatre - SYNC: A new project led by
and for neurodivergent young people, creating an accessible
self-advocacy resource that young people can use to make their
every day spaces more inclusive.
-
Keisha Thompson - Pan-African Congress 80th Anniversary
Strategy: A cross-sector working group will develop a
long-term strategy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the
Fifth Pan-African Congress, which took place in
Manchester.
-
The Octagon - Building Bridges: A
collaborative project with Bolton Wanderers in the Community
and The Met, Bury, creating new opportunities in theatre, music
and sport for people with additional needs and learning
disabilities.
-
Reform Radio - Beyond: Co-developing a best
practice model for inclusive creative industry training,
bridging the gap between the deaf community and the wider
creative sector.
-
TiPP - Next Stop: A creative collaboration
working with young people involved with or at risk of being
drawn into the criminal justice system exploring their
relationship with public transport through participatory arts,
highlighting themes of journeys, accessibility and
connection.
-
Venture Arts - Strands: A collaborative light
and sound installation inspired by Greater Manchester's textile
heritage, led by learning-disabled textile artist Florence and
exploring the meaning of ‘home'.
By investing in collaboration through the fund, GMCA aims to
build a strong foundation for long-term impact by creating
networks and partnerships that continue to grow well beyond the
life of each project.
Notes to editors
- The Collaborate fund sits within GMCA's broader Culture Fund
portfolio, which supports a vibrant and inclusive cultural
landscape across the city-region
- Please see a breakdown of the £300,000 funding for the eight
projects:
- Castlefield Gallery - £50,000 for education and skills
- Greater Manchester Arts Sustainability Network - £50,000 for
environment
- Hope Mill Theatre - £25,000 for health and wellbeing
- Keisha Thompson - £25,000 for economy and innovation
- The Octagon - £25,000 for education and skills
- Reform Radio - £50,000 for education and skills
- TiPP - £50,000 for safe spaces
- Venture Arts - £25,000 for placemaking
