Case study:Achates Generates Income: Tees Valley (Creative and Cultural Freelancer Network)

Achates has been working with the Creative and Cultural Freelancer Network in the Tees Valley since January 2025. We are delivering a two-year programme of masterclasses and one-to-one advice surgeries, designed to support creative freelancers in the Tees Valley to build their skills, knowledge, and confidence in shaping, articulating, and fundraising for creative and cultural projects, both individually and collaboratively. The Network is led by ARC Art Centre in Stockton-on-Tees, in partnership with consortium of seven organisations, and is funded by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority. Our delivery here has also included work for the Tees Valley ASPire programme, which supports emerging artists in Teesside. 

Through a hybrid delivery style of in-person workshops, which take place at ARC, and online sessions and one-to-ones, this programme has so far encompassed topics including Working with Purpose; Funders and Where to Find Them; Statutory and Trust and Foundation Grants and Bid Writing; Crowdfunding; and Relationship Building. With a huge range of both levels of fundraising experience, and types of artforms represented within the Freelancer Network, we’ve worked to ensure that our delivery is accessible, relevant and valuable to individuals working across a variety of different disciplines, and with diverse fundraising needs. 

The one-to-one sessions (open to all network members, as often as they need them) which complement the workshops give freelancers the opportunity to gain bespoke support and guidance on particular projects or fundraising questions and challenges, ranging from ACE NPLG applications, to how to fund touring and engagement work, to financial sustainability, to reviewing business plans, to an introduction to the principles of fundraising for the arts.

With the programme set to renew for its second year in January 2026, we will be reviewing delivery and its impact so far, and using feedback from Network members and workshop participants to inform the next iteration of this work.