Our Impact | Factory International | Manchester

Venue, programming and global reach

The creation of Aviva Studios unlocked over £100m of new public funding into Manchester – the largest investment in a national cultural project since the opening of Tate Modern in 2000.
It also generated a multi-million-pound investment by Aviva – one of the most significant investments from the corporate sector into the arts in the UK.
Factory International is one of the UK’s leading cultural exporters – creating projects in Manchester that are shared with the world.
Its work has reached more than 1.85 million people in over 39 countries. Over £10m of international investment has been raised in since the festival began.

£10 tickets are available for those who need them for every event with over 28k sold to date.
Our pioneering community development initiatives – Community Partnerships and Neighbourhood Organisers – create 5000 engagements / year in underrepresented communities and bridge the gap between overlooked parts of Greater Manchester and the city centre’s cultural offer, including through local programming and the targeted distribution of free and affordable tickets at Factory and MIF.
Over 500 GM residents / year take part in participatory, artist-led commissions as makers and performers.
Our co-curation projects give GM residents the tools and the resources to commission major works for Aviva Studios that they believe will speak to their communities. We have delivered two projects of this type each year since the building opened.
Over 100 Northern artists have received artist development opportunities leading to national commissions, international residencies, and global recognition.

Over 1000 Greater Manchester residents took part in Factory Academy activity in the past year – including workshops, college enrichment programmes, one-to-one mentoring, skills sharing, networking events and full training programmes.
245 Greater Manchester residents completed core Factory Academy courses, with 63% (155 trainees) moving into paid work – the highest employment rate to date
94% of trainees declared a characteristic underrepresented in the industry such as ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background or education – the highest proportion to date.

Supported over 2,000 Greater Manchester residents with training, mentoring and networking opportunities.
Seen 967 residents graduating from its core training programmes with 547 trainees moving onto employment at organisations including Co-op Live, Science and Industry Museum, Manchester Youth Zone, and Odd Arts.
Provided 200 roles within Factory International itself, across departments including Technical, Facilities, Front of House and Public Engagement.
Delivered 56 courses as an independent training provider.