How to find funding for your projects as a creative business in March 2025
Are you working in the creative industry and at the stage in your business that you are looking to get investment, but don’t know where to start?
Then it’s time to look at finding a source of funding. One new potential source is the new Collaborate fund launched by GMCA. It is designed to foster innovation and collaboration among culture, creative, and heritage organisations, as well as individuals, in the Greater Manchester area.
This may be of interest to some, but not all. Here are some things you should consider and some advice at how to go about it.
The first thing to look at is the funding environment, possibly including the new fund, Collaborate. You can find more information about Collaborate here: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/culture/greater-manchester-collaborate-fund/.
You should also look at what else is available in Greater Manchester, or more widely in the UK. There will be investors, and possibly grants, that are looking for opportunities to invest in the creative industry, or in a particular part of that industry.
Part of your research should be to identify those, as they are more likely to look favourably at a funding application from you. Part of this is deciding what kind of funding you want, so it may help to increase your understanding of Debt vs Equity particularly as it relates to the creative industry.
Whether you are considering applying for funding from Collaborate or from another source, once you have identified what kind of funding you want, be it equity, debt or a grant, you need to prepare and learn about the processes involved. These include:
Ensuring you have the appropriate funding assets in place, including pitch decks and financial forecasts which address typical investor concerns around risk. Ensuring you have your pitch deck right, with all the appropriate information, will be an important factor in successfully securing funding or not. You can read here about how to get your first investment pitch deck right.
Develop a clear fundraising strategy that is appropriate to the investor to help you to engage with them. Investors will look at different aspects of your business. Taking your time and planning carefully in important. To read more about how to develop your strategy can be found here in expert tips for creating a successful business - finance and strategy.
Make sure you have effective investor engagement and messaging around your investment offering. What you communicate to investors will develop as your business does and you will not always be successful. However, every refusal will give you guidance on what to do next, as detailed here by our Access to Finance team, Early-stage fundraising: The reality of “No”.
If you are looking for support in your funding journey, you can talk to our advisers. You can get in touch here.
Get in touch
Please contact us at 0161 3593050 or query below.
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