Something To Aim For
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HISTORY & CONTEXT
STAF is an amalgamation of the work of two organisations: In Company Collective, and The Sick of the Fringe, which have their own short but distinct histories. In Company Collective (ICC) 2015-2019, supported step-changes in the careers of artists including Split Britches, Le Gateau Chocolat, Hunt & Darton, and HighRise Theatre. This included supporting their organisational development, creating context for their work, expanding their networks and partnerships, and increasing their impact whilst supporting their sustainability. ICC also provided mentoring and support programmes for emerging and mid-career artists.
The Sick of the Fringe (TSOTF) is an international artistic development programme engaging with artists and audiences with lived experience of chronic ill-health, disability and socio-economic disadvantage, and addressing questions of access across the creative industries. TSOTF works with festivals, artists and communities and has achieved a reputation as a go-to resource for ground-breaking programming and artist support strategies.
Together ICC and TSOTF have secured investment of over £2 million in public subsidy for their projects since 2015, reaching live audiences of over 500,000 and more than 8 million online. This success led to the formation of STAF, which has built on both of those initiatives in new ways.
Our operating context has changed dramatically even in the short period since STAF was launched. A decade or more of austerity, has led to even greater social disparities and inequities that have deeply impacted the people and communities that we support. These inequities have been compounded by the impact of Covid-19, and further exposed long-standing systemic issues in our society. With 40% of the cultural sector having been made redundant in the past year, thousands of freelancers now have reduced or diminished livelihoods. A disproportionate amount of those people who have suffered most, are those that STAF’s work is built around or focuses upon. It’s in this devastating context that STAF will consolidate and expand its role over the next two years, providing an urgent and much needed address to some of the most pressing issues affecting, not only the cultural sector, but society as a whole.