Between January 2023 and January 2024, Factory International piloted, 12-month Community Partnership agreements, with four charities and non-profit organisations in Greater Manchester. Our goal was to explore how to make a bigger difference together in local areas. Offering £10,000 to each organisation and capacity building support, we spent 12 months spending time and learning alongside our community partners in their local areas. This programme is supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

After 12 months of partnership we are now evaluating our pilot programme and committing to ways we can embed our current partners as critical friends and form part of a wider network of organisations, who all share our ambition of making Manchester a greater place to live, as well as a leading creative and cultural hub; where we invent tomorrow, together. In 2024, we will ensure legacy and continued relationships with our pilot partners, CDM UK, REELMCR, Thrive Manchester and Patricroft CIC, whilst recruiting 2 new Community Partners later in the year.

With this programme we work with each organisation to improve our knowledge and understanding of their communities, opening up a direct and honest dialogue with local people and community leaders so the range of voices from across the region are heard and reflected across our wider programme and our offers and commissions feel more accessible and relevant to community need. Our Community Partnerships Programme aims to create more equitable relationships and meaningful collaboration between community groups and Factory International and to reduce inequality of access to arts and culture. Our Community Partners have received free and discounted tickets to share with their community, lifelong learning workshops developed to meet local need in each area and linked to Factory International Productions, capacity building support and more and in return we have had the privilege of spending time meeting local people, listening to their needs and interests, gaining brilliant knowledge of hyper local engagement and genuine commitment to support people in need and to be of service to your community, demonstrated by 4 organisations who are a credit to their local areas in Ardwick, Blackley, Wythenshawe and Patricroft.

This programme is part of a wider Creative Engagement Programme that aims to work with Manchester’s communities at a critical time and to reach many who face inequality of access to high quality artistic experiences – groups whose voices are not heard, nor their lives reflected, within mainstream cultural venues, productions and programmes.

You can find out more about our four pilot organisations below.

Contact creativeengagement@factoryinternational.org with any questions.

Our community partnerships recruitment is now closed.