We are delighted to have been awarded £400,000 by Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF)

The grant will support our work in communities across Greater Manchester and see local people coming together to develop a major series of cultural activities as part of our opening celebrations for The Factory.

Over the coming months, we will be inviting groups and communities from across the region to get involved in a programme of community curation, which will aim to forge connections, build skills and harness the creative ideas and interests of the people of Greater Manchester.

The initiative builds on the success of our engagement work to date. In 2016, Paul Hamlyn Foundation made a significant contribution to help transform the nature and scale of our local engagement. This grant, bolstered by additional support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Arts Council England and others, supported the first two years of a five-year programme to transform, diversify and deepen MIF’s local connections. A year-round programme of activity now takes place in community and cultural spaces across the city, from large-scale participatory commissions during the Festival to social evenings and meet-ups, and dedicated talent development opportunities for local creatives.

The new grant will support us take this work a step further, placing curatorial control in the hands of residents across Greater Manchester. It will build on some of the pioneering models that MIF has developed such as micro-Festival series Festival in My House which has seen people across Greater Manchester hold Festivals in their own homes; Manchester Street Poem, created by people with personal experience of homelessness; Contact Young Commissioners, which saw five young people commission an MIF19 installation; as well as initiatives such as Talking Points – informal conversations hosted by residents.

John McGrath, Artistic Director & Chief Executive of MIF  says: “With this funding we’ll be able to ensure that the people of Manchester play an active role in the life of The Factory, not only as audiences, but also creatively. We hope to stretch the limits of what’s possible for community use and imagination around The Factory, by experimenting with how different people might use and share the space, and showing that Manchester does things differently.”

 Moira Sinclair, Chief Executive of Paul Hamlyn Foundation says: “Manchester International Festival has been exploring how best to build strong relationships with local communities. This programme, focusing on co-creation, will allow the festival to deepen existing connections and forge new ones. We look forward to supporting these creative collaborations and to learning from them.”

Even before it opens, The Factory is already creating other new opportunities for people living across Greater Manchester. This includes apprenticeships and training through The Factory Academy.

MAIN  PICTURE: On Saturday 25 May 2019, AFROJAM took place in Whitworth Park for our first ever Festival in My Neighbourhood an Africa Day