Creative UK is proud of its ‘boots on the ground’ approach to making impact. We work in regions right across the UK to deliver a diverse range of programmes and activity. In 2023/24, we supported 630+ creative companies through various regional and national programmes, whilst growing our cohort of specialist business mentors and investors.  

In the North East, Creative UK works with regional partners to deliver tailored business support and investment opportunities for creative and cultural practitioners, freelancers, organisations and SMEs based in the region.  

Our inaugural programme is the Culture and Creative Investment Programme which is the first of its kind, offering a combined package of specialised investment in the form of loans and equity, as well as grants, a challenge fund and a tailored programme of business support. It is open to freelancers and businesses working in the culture and creative industries in North Tyneside, Northumberland and Newcastle, and funded by the North East Combined Authority.  Since January 2022, we have invested £3.5m through the North East Culture and Creative Investment Programme, via loans, equity and revenue share investments. The fund has demonstrated the value of businesses in the region, with £7m generated in match investment – effectively 2x of match generated for every pound invested by the fund, equating to more than £10m of total funds deployed in the sector within the region.  

The second ongoing initiative is the North East Create Growth Programme. Designed as an intensive investment readiness programme, it caters to businesses with ambitious goals for securing commercial investment. This opportunity is available to businesses in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Northumberland, County Durham, Sunderland, or South Tyneside and is funded by the DCMS. 100 businesses have gone through this programme over the past 18 months. 

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