Grants totalling more than £1.2 million are to be awarded to arts organisations across Manchester over the next three years, with fourteen different organisations in the city - more organisations than ever - each getting a share of the cash.
The grants are being made as part of the city council's Cultural Partnership Grants programme which was first established in 2012 and has already seen over £4m distributed through the programme to organisations in the city.
Now in its fourth round of funding, the programme invites charitable and not-for-profit arts, cultural, and heritage organisations that work in Manchester to bid for grants to support their core costs.
With funding support offered to successful organisations over a three year period (2026-29), the grants crucially also help provide a degree of longer term financial certainty to cultural organisations and support them to plan ahead.
The latest funding round also sees more organisations in the city supported than ever, thanks to an increase in funding made available by the city council for the programme.
This means 14 organisations will receive grants this time, up from 12 in the last funding round which covered the period 2023-26.
Arts organisations were invited to bid for the grants last August with each application judged on its merits against a defined set of criteria to decide on successful bids - including a commitment to the creation of high-quality work with life-enhancing impacts, to diversity and inclusion, and widening participation in the arts.
The priorities of the funding programme were further informed by the council's cultural strategy, Always Everywhere: Manchester's Cultural Ambition, which was launched 18 months ago.
Funding was awarded to those organisations meeting the criteria and based in the city or otherwise able to demonstrate that they have a strong offer and a track record of delivering cultural opportunities for Manchester residents.
The grants reflect the council's continued recognition of the importance of culture and the arts to Manchester and to everyone who lives in or visits the city.
Councillor Shazia Butt, Executive Member for Crime, Policing, Culture and Corporate Property, Manchester City Council, said: "We're a city that has a long history of supporting culture and the arts, and have a strong belief in the positive difference they make to our city - to our communities, our visitors, and our economy.
"We have some amazing world-class arts and cultural organisations right here on our doorstep and want everyone to benefit from the fantastic opportunities they bring, which is why we're determined to do everything we can to support and invest in the sector, to help further drive up participation, and bring culture and the arts to everyone, everywhere, in the city."
As in previous rounds of the Cultural Partnership Grants programme, the latest portfolio of organisations chosen to receive a grant represents a wide cross section of the arts - from visual arts, music and theatre, to museums and heritage organisations - with the successful organisations working in neighbourhoods across the city.
The 14 organisations receiving grants through the 2026-2029 Cultural Partnership Grant programme are:
- Afrocats
- Brighter Sound
- Castlefield Gallery
- Company Chameleon
- Contact
- Hope Mill Theatre
- Longsight Community Art Space
- Manchester Histories
- Manchester Jewish Museum
- Odd Arts
- Olympias Music Foundation
- Reform Radio
- SICK! Productions
- Venture Arts
Organisations receiving funding for the first time this year through the programme include Sick! Productions, Olympias Music Foundation, and Afrocats, while Company Chameleon is returning to the Cultural Partnership Grants' portfolio 2026-29.
Afrocats is a Greater Manchester-based organisation dedicated to increasing access to creative and wellbeing services for marginalised groups including global majority communities, first-generation young people, and those on low incomes. Alongside its partners, it reaches over 3000 participants each year through inclusive programmes spanning dance, drama, youth voice, arts and crafts, with the aim of breaking down barriers to accessing the city's cultural spaces and helping empower everyone through creativity, cultural connection, and a stronger sense of belonging.
Magdalen Bartlett, CEO, Afrocats, said: “This Cultural Partnership Grant arrives at a pivotal point for Afrocats. It strengthens our ability to grow sustainably while ensuring our communities continue to access joyful, culturally rooted creative opportunities. The funding recognises the power of culture to support wellbeing and resilience, and we are proud to carry that forward in our work.”
Manchester-based Olympias Music Foundation has been working for over ten years now, mostly in Longsight, to transform access to music education for children and young people experiencing low income.
Petra van den Houten, CEO, Olympias Music Foundation, said: "The Cultural Partnership Grant is a wonderful recognition of the impact we've made, and the grant support means we will be able to continue to inspire, to change, and to empower young lives in Longsight through music. This vote of confidence will enable Olympias to continue building cultural capital for the young people we work with and also support Manchester's economy by developing new talent and skills in the city."
Long-standing Manchester arts organisation Venture Arts has worked with neurodivergent and learning-disabled artists from its studio in Hulme since 1997, supporting learning disabled people to succeed as artists and leaders.
Amanda Sutton, Director, Venture Arts, said: "We're so grateful to be part of the Culture Partnership Grant portfolio for 2026-29. We've worked with neurodivergent and learning-disabled artists from our studios in Hulme since 1997 - supporting learning disabled people to shine as artists, workers and leaders, playing an integral role within the rich cultural offer in the city. The funding comes at a crucial time as we refurbish our premises to provide state of the art facilities where access for all will be key and a real resource for creatives in the city. It really demonstrates both the council's commitment to culture and to ensuring that all residents of the city can access high quality arts provision always and everywhere."