New Philanthropy for Arts & Culture (NPAC)’s partnership with Middlesbrough began in the spring of 2023, following the publication of a short article in Arts Professional describing the Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership and its interest in developing new models. The Cultural Partnership, which includes Teesside University’s enterprise and knowledge exchange department, Middlesbrough Council and leading arts and culture organisations, was at the earliest stage of revitalising the local creative sector and harnessing its potential to transform Middlesbrough city centre post-Covid. The team was working on an ambitious 10-year strategy for culture, and was keen to think creatively about how to deliver the challenging transformational change that was needed, and how it might attract new sources of funding. Eighteen months on from those first conversations, a flourishing partnership is emerging that promises to unite and deliver significant opportunities for the sector, the city and most importantly those that live, work and study there.
In partnership with the Middlesbrough lead team (just two individuals in the very early days) NPAC curated an awareness-raising day that brought various different cohorts of people together to discuss and assess the opportunities that lay ahead. These cohorts were drawn from the creative sector, civic society and the local commercial world, with support from Tees Valley-based community foundations. These conversations helped to tease out the challenges and ambitions for the local area. Participants were encouraged to recognise the role that they might play in delivering those objectives and, importantly, joining together to work collaboratively on a single common cause – the development of Middlesbrough.
Subsequently, NPAC worked alongside an expanding partnership made up of representatives from across the city, meeting regularly and offering guidance and experience from other growing partnerships with similar ambitions in other parts of the country. We also led a facilitated away day with the core objective of setting out a philanthropic case for support for arts and culture in Middlesbrough.
We’ve really valued the encouragement and expertise we’ve received from NPAC in developing a plan to grow philanthropic support for arts and culture in Middlesbrough. Anna [Rowe] and Michael [Garvey] have a wealth of experience in this field, bring with them useful examples of good practice in other parts of the country and have a real passion for culture which is helping us to navigate untested waters for us and make real progress.
– Gaye Kirby, Creative Programmes & Partnerships Manager, Middlesbrough Council
In the autumn of 2023, just a few months following the initiation of the partnership, Middlesbrough Art Week was the perfect opportunity for Middlesbrough City Council and the Cultural Partnership to publicly launch their new ambitions for the city – a national platform that enabled the local sector to begin to reprofile the city and demonstrate that their collaborative approach had bold ambitions. Championed by the Leader of the Council and local politicians, the buzz that was created by the collective approach and desire to see real change delivered for an improved and revitalised Middlesborough was palpable. NPAC enhanced the guest list for the launch event by inviting philanthropists from outside of the area to bring further credibility to the ambitions and begin to empower local philanthropists to play their part.
In March 2024, Tees Valley Arts – one of the cultural partners – led a match funding campaign to raise funds through our Arts for Impact partnership with the Big Give. This raised £12.5k from new donors, and will lay the foundations for future campaigns.
Key ingredients for a local government led model in Middlesbrough.
Key to the ongoing success of this work is strengthening the governance structure that guides and delivers it. The cultural partnership has now created a new organisation: Creative Factory. Soon to be granted charitable status, this company has entered into a £multi-million funding agreement with Middlesbrough Council to invest levelling up funding to support arts and culture in Middlesbrough. It will also be a vehicle to raise philanthropic funds; as an independent charity Creative Factory will benefit from the many tax breaks that are available to not-for-profits, and importantly philanthropists will also feel confident that their giving will be carefully looked after and they too can benefit from tax-efficient giving to a charity. NPAC continues to work with the Creative Factory team to maximise the opportunities to attract philanthropic support.
From small beginnings but with energy, enthusiasm and a proactive attitude, Middlesbrough’s regeneration is on a firm footing backed by all the different areas of the local society who have united around a common cause and are seeking to improve the lives of the people of Middlesbrough.
Find out more about our Place-Based Partnerships.
