The Brighton & Hove Culture Alliance is a network of people from the city’s creative and cultural industries, collaborating to boost the sector’s health and to benefit its workforce. We believe passionately in the vital role that art and culture plays in making our city a fantastic place to live, work, visit and invest in. 

Our vision is a thriving, diverse, inclusive creative and cultural sector for Brighton & Hove, built on collaboration and partnerships.

Brighton & Hove Culture Alliance evolved out of the action of a group of the city’s creative and cultural workers, who came together in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the city’s creative and cultural sector. 

Together they formed the ABCD Cultural Recovery Programme, which ran from April 2021 to December 2022 and raised more than £500,000 for creative projects in Brighton & Hove. You can read a report about the impact of this work here [link to report].

STRUCTURE

We are made up of some paid freelancers but mostly people donating their time on a voluntary basis who form two main groups and additional working groups which deliver current projects:

The Culture Alliance Governance Group makes sure the purpose and aims of the alliance are delivered and is responsible for overseeing our projects and reviewing progress. This group is led by partners who work across the creative sector in the city, as well as the chairs of current working groups.

Culture allies are individuals, organisations, groups, and other networks and alliances who support the purpose and contribute towards the aims of Brighton & Hove Culture Alliance and who benefit from being more connected to the cultural sector in the city.

Working groups are made up of people coming together to tackle specific priorities and currently include:

• Space to Grow working group
• Anti-racism working group 

Find out more about the people involved in these groups here.

AIMS

We work together to: 

• Take city-wide challenges and address them by bringing people together to create collaborative solutions. We seek out resources, by applying for funding, for example, to help us achieve our strategic priorities.
• Create spaces where diverse voices can be heard and influence decision-making
• Make it easier for artists and creative workers to find the information and support they need to work in and from Brighton & Hove.
• Advocate far and wide for Brighton & Hove’s creative and cultural sector. 

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Our priorities were identified through a meeting with 50 cultural sector workers (read more about that process here) and affirmed by the Culture Action Group in 2023.

• Economic and Social Value: Achieve local, national and international recognition of culture in Brighton & Hove as a key contributor to the economy of the city, a driver for inward investment and a means for sharing our creativity and values.

• Creative and Cultural Space: Protect Brighton & Hove’s cultural spaces for future generations, where possible in community ownership.

• Inclusion and Anti-Racism: Brighton & Hove’s cultural sector will lead on anti-racist practices in the city in tune with ecological sustainability. Access – for artists and audiences – will be central to policy and practice.

• Cultural Leadership and Decision Making: Ensure Brighton & Hove’s cultural sector demonstrates leadership in distributed and democratic ways with thriving and risk-taking organisations working hand-in-hand with independent/freelance cultural activists, artists, producers and organisers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND UPDATES: sign up to our Culture Allies mailing list here.

Please note this web page is currently being reviewed and expanded. Check back for updates.