Freelance Development Support Role

Company Description

Bradford has been named the UK City of Culture 2025, celebrating its rich cultural heritage and history of social reform. The district’s year of culture will feature over 1,000 new performances and events, 365 artist commissions, and collaborations at a national and international scale. Known for its independent spirit and vibrant cultural landscape, Bradford aims to deliver a unique celebration that reflects its heritage. This initiative provides a platform to showcase talent and foster creativity in the local community and beyond.

Role Description

Our Patch is a signature project for Bradford Culture Company, delivering creative projects at a grassroots level through socially engaged practice. Its main delivery period ran from August 2024 to March 2026. Our Patch is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and has secured funding for an extension period through to 31 December 2026.

This extension is focussed on supporting communities and creative practitioners to continue delivering creative projects independently. This also includes providing funding advice and identifying funding opportunities for communities to take forward as the project ends.

This is a new role bringing fund raising expertise into the Our Patch team.

Key information:

• This is a fixed term, freelance commission for delivery between June 2026 and November 2026
• Total Fee (incl. VAT): £10,000 (40 days @ £250 per day)

Key responsibilities:

• To support the Our Patch Team and specifically the Community Producer for Training & Development, who is tasked with identifying community organisations, networks, projects and/or creative practitioners that may benefit from additional funding and/or training, to continue creative engagement
• Meet with community organisations and creative practitioners to understand their work and identify funding gaps;
• Scope for potential funding opportunities and share with the Our Patch team;
• Support community organisations to make independent applications for awards/grants/funding;
• Contribute to 2 or more training events offering advice on applying for funding;

Essential criteria:

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience in development & fundraising
• An excellent track record of raising funds – from a variety of different funding streams including public funders and trusts and foundations
• Experience as a mentor or in delivering training
• Strong written and verbal communication skills – including the ability to support others in writing successful applications for funding and deliver training events/presentations;
• An interest in arts, culture and heritage – with some experience of securing funding for a creative project and/or for an arts organisation.
• Knowledge of Bradford – with an understanding of the challenges many people face

How to apply

Visit bradfordculture.co.uk/work-with-us