We’re delighted to announce that we have been welcomed back in to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Culture Fund portfolio.
Since its initial launch in 2017, the GMCA Culture Fund has delivered “transformational social and economic value”, from mental health support to youth engagement, refugee inclusion, supporting the city’s visitor and nighttime economy and “making our high streets and town centres thriving and exciting places”. The three-year funding is for cultural organisations in Greater Manchester.
Art with Heart wouldn’t be where it is today without this fund and we are incredibly thankful to receive this funding to support our cultural activities. For a small arts organisation, this fund has provided vital foundations and stability, enabling us to plan and dedicate time to designing projects that will create meaningful and lasting impact for local communities.
The funding has enabled us to build a programme of free-to-access artist development support, while also creating opportunities for local people to express themselves creatively, connect with others, and improve wellbeing through participation in cultural activities.
It has given us the time and capacity to develop projects thoughtfully, ensuring they have a genuine and positive impact on those taking part.
Because of this support, we have been able to work with and support hundreds of freelance creatives from performers to photographers, visual artists to administrators.
We are buzzing to be part of this portfolio alongside so many brilliant and vital cultural organisations. We feel incredibly fortunate to live and work in a region that prioritises culture and recognises the important role it plays in improving the wellbeing of residents and strengthening communities.
This investment shows a real belief in the value of creativity and community, and we’re hugely grateful for the chance to keep developing ambitious, accessible, and meaningful cultural work.
Over the next three years we will deliver a programme of activity that brings people together, centres community and celebrates human connection. Our accessible programme of free to access creative activities will be delivered across Salford in libraries, leisure centres, community cafés, galleries and at festivals and fairs.
We will continue to celebrate our city of Salford, handing the mic to everyday Salfordians as the city marks 100 years of city status. Our Salford Voices banner exhibition and craft pop up will hit the road this year after a successful stay at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, coming to seven venues across Salford.
We will continue to focus on providing workshops for people working in the creative industry will return, focusing on access how we can better support and celebrate the creativity of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and participants.
Creatives across Greater Manchester will benefit from free careers advice sessions, mentoring and artist development workshops, reaffirming our commitment to providing accessible opportunities for working class artists to gain a better understanding of how the industry works.
We look forward to working with more freelance creatives in the coming years ranging from visual artists to sound engineers, writers to filmmakers and everyone in between.
You can find out more about the GMCA Culture Fund and the other organisations in the portfolio here.
To keep up to date with our activities, events, workshops and work opportunities, sign up to our mailing list here.
Donations
We are Art with Heart, and we want to bring together as many people as possible to unlock their creativity and connection to each other. As a registered charity (1205611), donations make it possible to deliver accessible, representative and inclusive projects, to engage more people, employ more freelancers and plan further into the future. Together, we are building Art with Heart, we would love you to join us! CLICK HERE to donate through our Ko-fi campaign.