The Greater Manchester Culture and Social Impact Fund Committee was scheduled to consider its annual business, including the appointment of its Chair and Vice-Chair for the upcoming municipal year, and to review the committee's membership and terms of reference. The meeting was also scheduled to discuss the Greater Manchester Culture Investment 2025-26, an update on ODD Arts, and the Greater Manchester Investment Approach for 2026-29.

Appointment of Chair and Vice-Chair

The committee was scheduled to note that Councillor Neil Emmott, the GMCA Portfolio Lead for Culture, was to serve as Chair for the 2026/27 Municipal Year. Members were also scheduled to appoint a Vice-Chair for the same period.

Membership and Governance

The committee was scheduled to note the membership for the 2026/27 Municipal Year. Members were also scheduled to be reminded of their obligations under the GMCA Member's Code of Conduct and to complete an annual declaration of interest form, which would be published on the GMCA website. The committee's Terms of Reference for the 2026/27 Municipal Year were also scheduled for noting.

Greater Manchester Culture Investment 2025-26

A report was scheduled to inform the committee about the activity delivered using GM cultural investment between April 2025 and March 2026. The report was expected to detail the impact of the GM Culture Investment Fund, including the delivery of the Inspire programme, support for organisations through the Spirit and Sustain investment strands, and the number of cultural engagements delivered. The report was also scheduled to provide an update on the Collaborate programme and progress against the GM Night Time Economy Strategy.

The report was scheduled to recommend that members note its contents and provide feedback on areas of interest for future updates during the 2026-2029 Culture Fund investment period. Appendix A was scheduled to provide examples of activity and impact delivered through the Spirit and Sustain portfolio during 2025-26, and Appendix B was scheduled to list organisations and their annual awards.

ODD Arts (Verbal Update)

A verbal update was scheduled to be provided by Rebecca Friel, Chief Executive Officer of ODD Arts. The supplementary agenda indicated that this update would focus on ODD Arts' work in areas such as therapeutic theatre workshops, interactive theatre tours, and creative wellbeing programmes, utilising a trauma-informed approach, Non-Violent Communication, restorative approaches, and anti-racism. The update was also scheduled to highlight headline impacts in creative health, cultural place-making, arts in the criminal justice system, and cohesion through creativity. Specific programmes such as Wellbeing Your Way and Arts in Criminal Justice were also scheduled to be presented. Financial impact statements, including a return on investment of £12.77 for every £1 invested, were also scheduled to be shared.

Greater Manchester Investment Approach 2026-29

The committee was scheduled to consider a report outlining the new GMCA Culture Fund for 2026-2029. The report was expected to detail the proposed budget and its allocation across different strands, including Inspire, Spirit & Sustain, Structural, Strategic, Programme Management, and ongoing Social Impact commitments. The report was also scheduled to present the proposed portfolio of organisations to be funded under the Spirit and Sustain strands, including details of annual awards.

The report was scheduled to note the appraisal and balancing process undertaken to arrive at the proposed portfolio and seek approval for the organisations to be funded and the annual amounts to be awarded from 2026-29. It was also scheduled to provide details on existing portfolio delivery from 2023-26, including specific organisational changes and recommendations for future investment, particularly in areas identified as having greater challenges in resident access to culture, such as Oldham, Rochdale, and Wigan. The report was scheduled to include a list of new high-scoring organisations proposed for investment.

The report indicated that the proposed portfolio would continue investment in all currently funded organisations, with a 5% increase to awards to recognise rising costs. It also proposed bringing ten new high-scoring organisations into the portfolio to ensure more equitable distribution of funding and to support equality objectives. Specific new organisations mentioned included Breaking Barriers (Rochdale), Doc North (Wigan), OT Creative Space (Trafford), Reform Radio (Manchester), Skylight Circus Arts (Rochdale), Stand and Be Counted Theatre (Oldham), String of Hearts (Trafford), The Snug (Wigan), and Venture Arts (Manchester). A detailed list of the proposed Spirit & Sustain Portfolio, including organisation names, locations, and annual award amounts, was scheduled to be provided in Appendix B.