A new report from Creative United reveals how innovations to support grassroots creatives helped boost sales, income and skills in a challenging landscape. 

Published today, Thursday 30 October, our Annual Impact Report 2024/25 demonstrates the value and importance of targeted schemes to stimulate growth, confidence and skills to the smallest players in creative ecosystem.

• Just under £5million boost to the contemporary art and craft market with sales generated through the Own Art0% interest finance scheme
• Incremental sales generated for 3,000 artists across the four corners of the UK
• More than 100 micro creative businesses helped to build skills and an estimated increase in income of £400,000 through the Re:Create business skills and support scheme
• Over 1,200 early-stage and professional musicians supported with the cost of musical instruments and equipment with £1.4 million of 0% interest loans through the Take it awayscheme

Mary-Alice Stack, Chief Executive said:

At Creative United we’re helping keep creatives in business across the UK – supporting the livelihoods of the most at-risk parts of the creative economy. Low pay, intermittent contracts and the rising cost of living risk the loss of both talent and diversity in the sector for individual artists and ‘nano’ businesses.”

“Our programmes help buck this trend. Through our innovative finance, business support and research initiatives we delivered direct benefits to just under 4,500 artists, makers and creative entrepreneurs in 2024/25, generating over £6 million in sales for our sector, as well as building business skills, confidence and visibility for a diverse community of creatives.”

The positive interventions to stimulate the creative economy come against a backdrop of a bleak national picture for individual artists, with the median income for visual artists reported at just £12,500 during the period (University of Glasgow/DACS report on UK Visual Artists’ Earnings and Contracts 2024).

Susie Warran-Smith CBE DL, Chair of Creative United said:

We are committed to finding ways of supporting creative livelihoods across the whole of the UK. This includes practical business support, funding and research, working directly with the often-invisible practitioners themselves. We are here for them and they are at the heart of everything we do. With a renewed national focus on ‘high growth potential’ we want to make sure the creative industries are recognised for their invaluable contribution to the wider economy and to celebrate our world-leading sector.”

Alongside the specific programmes to stimulate the creative economy, the Annual Impact Report highlights the in-depth research and development Creative United carries out in partnership with Higher Education Institutions. Research covers a wide range of areas of development, from pioneering accessible music-making  to exploring the opportunities and pitfalls of Blockchain technology.

Click HERE to find out more about the range of Creative United’s work and read the report in full.

Artwork by Krystal Wong