DIPACT is an artist-led creative organisation rooted in Manchester and Greater Manchester, creating spaces where art, food, culture and lived experience come together. Founded in Manchester in 2016, we have spent the past ten years researching, listening, testing and delivering alongside artists, communities and partners — continually strengthening the quality, standards and sustainability of what we do.
What makes DIPACT different is that we do not see creatives simply as people delivering an activity. We see artists and creative practitioners as community leaders, knowledge-holders and people with the talent and passion to shape what their communities need. We listen to individual creatives, community groups, collaborators and partners to understand what is needed now, and we build programmes around those realities rather than asking communities to fit into a pre-designed model.
Our ambition is not simply to deliver a creative project and move on. We want to create spaces, relationships and ways of working that can last — leaving skills, confidence, leadership, networks and legacy behind. Art can support mental wellbeing, but our work goes further: we bring the professional practice, ideas and expertise of each creative into the space, invest in their development, support their longer-term careers and help ensure the work they create can continue beyond one commission or funding period.
This means holding a strong standard for the people who work with us. Communities, artists and partners deserve quality, investment and respect. Our approach is built around co-creation, sharing leadership, believing in talent and passion, and making sure we hold and support one another when that support is needed. We believe sustainable cultural change happens when people have genuine ownership — not simply participation.
Although DIPACT is a small organisation, this approach has already created tangible outcomes. We have generated 24 paid commissions and creative opportunities, supported artists into longer-term development, and seen three creatives establish their own initiatives, which we continue to support. We have worked with five major cultural institutions and more than 10 community organisations and groups, while also bringing activity, audiences and investment into smaller independent and community venues across Manchester and Greater Manchester.
Through programmes such as Global Roots Canvas and Global Roots Café, we bring artist development, paid opportunity, community participation and partnership working together. Our work celebrates and strengthens multiculturalism in Great Britain, while keeping Manchester and Greater Manchester at the heart of our delivery.
DIPACT’s work and leadership have also received wider recognition, including our model being recognised at the 2024 Refugee Summit at The Conduit in London as one of 12 global solutions responding to the refugee crisis, alongside recognition through WeAreTheCity’s 20 Pioneers in 2024 and the WeAreTheCity Rising Star Award in Charity & Non-Profit in 2025.
At its heart, the change we want to create is simple but long-term: artists are invested in, communities have genuine influence, leadership is shared, local cultural spaces are strengthened, and the work does not disappear when a project ends. We want the people who create with us to leave with more opportunity, more ownership and stronger foundations for whatever they build next.
