FACT Together was set up in 2020, in response to the financial uncertainty caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the temporary closure of galleries and museums across the world.

Open to early-career artists based in the North of England, FACT Together's first year received proposals from over 250 artists, highlighting the growing need to support our creative community during these challenging times. The whole of the North was strongly represented with proposals from Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, Lancaster, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland.

For each instalment of FACT Together, successful artists receive an individual grant, a production budget and 3 months of support and mentorship to create new work responding to FACT's annual, programmatic theme. Following the 2020 theme of The Living Planet, the 2021 open call asks artists to shape their work relating to the theme Radical Ancestry, a year-long exploration into the sense of belonging. In the aftermath of a global pandemic, we are more aware of how technology has changed how we think about ourselves, the people around us, and the places we call home. Click on the resources tab to view our latest open call.

Awarded artists will develop their ideas with professional support provided from our team. The open call asks artists to submit ideas that could be shared digitally which has resulted in hundreds of proposals for podcasts, live streams, games, gifs, animations, performances, short films, social media takeovers, interactive artworks, workshops and more. Many of the artists selected for FACT Together have not previously created digital work, making this an exciting opportunity for both the artists and our online community.