Work better with the freelance workforce

North East Cultural Freelancers (NECF) is dedicated to working with organisations in the North East and beyond to develop a more sustainable and equitable environment for the region’s freelance and independent workforce, whilst also sustaining a positive and collaborative cultural ecology.

Working with organisations and freelancers in the region we have developed a series of offers for your organisation to work with us to establish a ‘freelancer-friendly’ environment. The offers range from free to bespoke pricing for your organisation.

Why it’s important

We know the sector is a difficult place to survive due to austerity, funding availability, Covid recovery, and the effects of education policy on arts and cultural opportunities for young people. The region has enormous inequalities, with 1 in 5 children living in poverty, the highest percentage of disabled people of any region and high levels of precarious work.

The North East’s cultural salaries are the lowest in England, falling almost £20k below the North West and around £14k below Yorkshire and the Humber. Freelancers and independent cultural workers in the North East feel disconnected from regional cultural policy and industrial strategy. We know that we need to work together to develop a stabilised ecology in the region.

Why choose NECF?

At NECF we’ve grown a community of over 5,600 in our Facebook group since we were founded in 2019. We’ve nurtured this community by being thoughtful, listening with intent and holding space for respectful and often challenging discussions. We hear about the successes and the challenges of our cultural freelancers, including their experiences working with organisations.

The NECF team has a wealth of experience within the North East arts and culture sector, including cultural strategy, leadership, workforce development, project management and communications. The organisation and its community is well regarded and cited as an example of good practice on a regional, national and even international level.

We’re passionate about making the North East the best place to be a cultural worker, and for that to happen we need to work together, better.

Get in touch

Please contact info@culturalfreelancers.org to organise a discovery chat and work out which offer best suits your organisation and your budget.

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Please consider supporting our work by becoming an organisational member.