date of issue: January 28, 2024
Council Leader Neil Emmott
A new £300,000 fund will be launched in Greater Manchester to support freelancers and small organizations working in music and the arts.
Photography, literature, heritage projects and the visual arts are some of the cultural groups that can benefit from individual grants of between £500 and £2,000.
With many freelance artists leaving the sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of investment and support for freelancers, independent creatives, artists, musicians and performers across the arts will increase. The report shows that this is possible.
Funded by the Greater Manchester Integration Authority (GMCA), the investment will be managed by Salford CVS (Community and Voluntary Services) and will enable freelancers and small organizations to apply for funding over the next three years.
We encourage applications from independent artists, musicians and small creative arts organizations from across Greater Manchester.
Councilor Neil Emmott, Greater Manchester Integration Authority’s cultural lead, said: “I am delighted that our investment in cultural organizations and individuals is now secure for the future.
“2023 has been a very challenging year for the delivery of cultural plans and projects. It’s great for communities across Greater Manchester to see tangible support for the grassroots creative and cultural sector. is important.
“There is so much creativity and ingenuity in our towns and cities and the Inspire Fund is here to ensure we invest in our culture and all it has to offer.”
The Inspire Fund is just one of the five ‘pillars’ of the Greater Manchester Cultural Fund.
- inspire: One-off development grants of between £500 and £2,000 to sow the seeds of great ideas and sector development across Greater Manchester. The program aims to support individual practitioners, freelancers, and grassroots and community organizations, with grants awarded across several thematic areas.
- spirit: Supporting much-loved and important local organizations, this grant program awards between £20,000 and £200,000 a year. Spirit does not require organizations to serve the whole of Greater Manchester, but to be of strategic importance to the city region’s ‘cultural ecosystem’. The ‘Cultural Ecosystem’ is the totality of Greater Manchester’s cultural offer, all the people who work in it and all the people who take part in it in some way.
- last: The program provides support to organizations that need more than £200,000 a year to support their work across Greater Manchester, providing support to artists and grassroots organizations in all 10 boroughs.
- cooperate: An opportunity for organizations in Greater Manchester to form a consortium to deliver the strategic objectives of the Greater Manchester Strategy: Greener, Fairer and Prosperous. The consortium is expected to match fund activities that deliver the greatest value possible.
- strategic: This pillar represents the Greater Manchester Strategic Fund, which funds activities that support the delivery of the Greater Manchester Cultural Strategy.
Rivka Burns, Deputy Chair of Greater Manchester Music Board, said: “This city is one of the greatest in the world for all art forms, and the next generation of ideas, shows, work and music is thriving. The GMCA’s efforts to encourage this are important.” That’s exactly one of the reasons. ”
Producer, performer and songwriter Noel said: “Small local grant schemes like this are a great opportunity to support freelance artists in local communities across Greater Manchester.”
The first round of applications opened on January 26th and closed on March 1st. For more information and to apply, please visit www.10gm.org.uk/Inspire-Fund.html.