An arts & cultural community in Swindon
Swindon Culture Collective CIC supports the development of our local arts and cultural sector across the town.
What is the Swindon Culture Collective?
The Culture Collective is a network of individuals and organisations working together to support the development of the arts and cultural sector in Swindon. Previously known as the Magic Swindon network, it has an open membership drawn from local creatives, cultural organisations, community organisations and businesses, who came together with an ambition for what Swindon has to offer.
The network is coordinated by Swindon Culture Collective CIC, a not-for-profit organisation established following a successful bid to Arts Council England’s Place Partnership programme – with match-funding and in-kind support from a range of partners, including Swindon Borough Council. Whilst the CIC is the lead organisation, it exists to support the sector as a whole, working as a partnership body between funders, supporting organisations and the grassroots network it serves.
The network has co-created a set of values and behaviours which guides and governs How We Work Together.
The Place Partnership programme
The programme was developed by the Magic Swindon network (now called Swindon Culture Collective) to bring together the town’s rich ecosystem of cultural organisations and grassroots activity; increasing collaboration and visibility of all the town has to offer, driving an explosion of arts and cultural participation and inclusion, and celebrating Swindon’s creative and cultural life.
The £1.3 million, 2-year programme (backed by a £600,000 National Lottery Place Partnership award from Arts Council England, alongside £300,000 from Swindon Borough Council and an additional £400,000 in match-funding and in-kind support from local partners) will develop our cultural landscape to be more accessible, ambitious and rooted in the community.
It will create and support new and existing spaces, events and audiences for arts and cultural activity, establish Swindon as a vibrant festival town, provide skill building opportunities, map out pathways for people of all ages to develop their creativity and increase collaborative working.
News, events & updates
Who are we here for?
For producers
Swindon has always been a town with a rich presence of creative and cultural people and organisations. The Place Partnership programme was created by a network of many of these to support the local arts and cultural sector – to build on our combined strengths and tackle challenges together.
For community
Although the programme has been developed by people and organisations with a shared passion for the value of arts and culture, our aim is to engage and benefit the whole community – after all, culture is for everyone! We believe in the power it has to change lives and communities for the better.
For businesses
Culture-led regeneration has been proven to drive the economic prosperity of a place. Whether it’s through improving the social life of existing residents and workers or attracting new employees to the town, supporting local culture supports local businesses to thrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have a wide programme of work to deliver and it is moving quickly, so we’ve tried to answer here a few of the questions we get asked the most!
Still have more questions? Feel free to contact us.
Yes! – ‘Magic Swindon’ was a nickname for the informal network of creative and cultural sector organisations and individuals which came together to work together to do more for Swindon. Whilst the nickname stuck, it was a little ‘marmite’, so we’ve stopped using it and just refer to the ‘Swindon Culture Collective’ network, now.
The Culture Collective network has co-created a set of values and behaviours which guides and governs how we work together, so that we can make sure it is a positive, safe and inclusive space. You can find it here.
The Place Partnership programme is:
- Support for coordinating work across the sector, to achieve the aims defined by the network
- A way for the collective to commission individuals and organisations fairly across the local arts and cultural sector to help deliver this work
- A way to help up-skill the sector and facilitate professional development
- A way for Swindon’s arts and cultural sector to collaborate and be stronger through working together
- A way to elevate the profile of Swindon’s cultural life and offer, both inside the town and outside
The Place Partnership programme is not:
- A core funder of individual projects – Arts Council Projects grant, and other funding sources are still the place to go – but we can advise!
- A shortcut to Arts Council or other funding – this is about coming together to deliver more collaboratively.
The programme offers a range of opportunities for cultural producers, young people, and the wider community.
For Cultural Producers
- Funding: Seed-funding and commissioning opportunities will be available for cultural producers to create, innovate and collaborate. The programme seeks to support proposals that increase the participation of under-represented audiences, while helping emerging producers test or establish new ideas and income streams, and work more collaboratively.
- Physical spaces: The programme will unlock new, affordable and accessible ‘meanwhile spaces’, such as empty retail units, including establishing a ‘Hub’ for young people.
- Development: The project provides opportunities to help develop cultural producers (people and organisations, including paid workers and volunteers) and which better reflects Swindon’s diverse communities. It will also identify festival organiser development opportunities and act as a catalyst for new cross-discipline collaborations.
For Young People and Students
- Career pathways: Young people will have opportunities to learn about career paths into and through the arts and cultural sector via a careers roadshow reaching over 44,000 students and an online ‘Progression Pathway Guide’.
- Work placements: We will work with further education providers to identify and deliver work placement opportunities.
For our wider Community
- Participation: The project will highlight year-round opportunities for people and communities to participate in and co-create a broad range of cultural activities.
- Inclusive access: The project will support under-served communities in accessing spaces and opportunities to participate in arts and cultural activities, ensuring these opportunities are promoted beyond established cultural organisations.
A ‘meanwhile space’ is the temporary use of un-used or under-used buildings and spaces, such as empty retail units or development sites.
Landlords and local councils can offer short-term, no- or low-cost leases to community groups, small businesses, or artists / cultural producers while waiting for long-term commercial tenants or permanent redevelopment.
Commissioning is a way of distributing funding – in our case, to cultural producers to create or deliver new cultural works, activities and spaces in Swindon. It’s designed to be fair and easy to apply for.
Commissions differ from grants because they usually invite proposals from producers or organisations to meet a specific opportunity or need (for example, an artist’s residency or proposals to create an activity as part of an event or festival).
The process begins with the Swindon Culture Collective – in collaboration with representatives from the local culture sector and wider community stakeholders – identifying a need, space or opportunity that aligns with the aims of the Place Partnership programme.
Commission briefs are developed with input from key stakeholders to set out the aim, the target audience’s needs, and a timetable and budget for the project, along with any other important considerations.
Most commissions will be advertised through Swindon Culture Collective channels as an ‘Open Call,’ allowing any eligible practitioners or groups to apply. In exceptional cases, certain commissions may be by invitation only.
Applications are assessed and scored by a panel to determine which are funded.
CICs are limited companies which primarily operate to provide a benefit to the community they serve, rather than private profit. A CIC operates in the same way as any other company and has all the characteristics of a limited company, with the ability to enter into contracts and own assets in its own name.
CICs are not charities, and are not regulated by the Charity Commission. However, they are a useful way of constituting a not-for-profit (non-profit) company. A CIC can be set up as a company limited by shares or limited by guarantee.
In the case of Swindon Culture Collective CIC, the CIC has been set up limited by guarantee. This means that it does not have shareholders, which means that no dividends can be paid out to investors. Instead, all profits are reinvested to benefit the community.