Apply by
Sunday 15 February 2026 at 11 PM
After 2 successful rounds of Sustain in 2022 and 2023, plus a dance-focused round in 2025, we’re excited to announce the return of our popular programme for mid-career artists, creative freelancers and companies.
Sustain is a fully-funded development programme that comprises a mixture of one-to-one meetings, in-person and online group sessions, and self-directed time.
Lou Cope, a Performance Dramaturg, leads Sustain and brings over 17 years of experience working collaboratively with artists and organisations to enhance their creative and professional practice.
About Sustain
Sustain is fully funded by Bradford Producing Hub, which means it’s free to participate in. We can also provide attendance bursaries and cover access costs (see our FAQ section below for more info).
Here’s what you can expect from the programme:
- You will receive bespoke support from our host, Lou Cope, who will apply the principles of dramaturgy to creative career development to help you negotiate the challenges of working as a mid-career artist, creative freelancer or leader within the arts and culture sector.
- This will take the form of bespoke one-to-one sessions, plus a mixture of online and in-person group sessions.
- The programme is deliberately spread out over several months to offer time for you to reflect on the challenges you’re facing and test some of the strategies you develop – with time to assess the impact along the way.
- You will be part of a cohort of fellow creatives with whom you will share experiences and exchange peer-to-peer support.
Book our Online info session
Who is Sustain for?
Our 2026 round of Sustain is for:
- Bradford-based artists and creative freelancers, or leaders of creative companies, organisations or microbusinesses.
- Those who have a strong connection to Bradford, i.e. you primarily work, or you make or stage your work in the Bradford district.
- Those who see themselves as mid-career*.
- Those actively making and producing creative work.
- Those who find challenges or barriers in taking their work to the next level.
Your challenges or barriers might include, but are not limited to:
- Scaling up your work.
- Enhancing the quality of production.
- Expanding your profile or reputation.
- Taking your work to new audiences or locations.
- Growing your company in terms of team, cast, crew and/or volunteers.
- Having the capacity to think and plan more long-term.
- Addressing barriers that might be holding you back, such as prejudice, racism, economic barriers, glass ceilings, self-confidence or other societal barriers.
* See our FAQ section for more information on these definitions.
Sustain is not for you if you are:
- An Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) – though you may be planning to apply to become an NPO.
- Not currently making or producing work.
- An organisation or company whose primary focus is on delivering classes or workshops.
- An early-career or ’emerging’ creative, or still in full-time education.
Sustain timeline
Before applying to Sustain, please ensure that you can commit to the timeline below. Please pencil these dates in your calendar when making your application. Places on this programme are limited; it is therefore essential that you can commit to these dates.
Key dates:
- Tuesday 3 March 2026 at 10 AM – 4 PM
Group in-person intro day - 5 or 6 March 2026
First 1-2-1 with Lou (90 mins) - Monday 30 March 2026 at 6 – 8 PM
Online group session (2 hours) - 14 or 15 April 2026
Second 1-2-1 with Lou (90 mins) - Thursday 7 May 2026 at 10 – 5 PM
Group Away Day, including a meal in the evening - 18 or 19 May 2026
Third 1-2-1 with Lou (90 mins) - Wednesday 3 June 2026 at 6 – 8 PM
Online group session (2 hours) - 15 or 16 June 2026
Final check-in 1-2-1 with Lou (90 mins)
How to apply
The application deadline is Sunday, 15 February 2026.
Applications are made by completing our online application form. If you need to make your application another way, please see our FAQ section below, where you can also see a copy of the application questions.
If you have any questions at all, please drop us an email at hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk
About the facilitator
Lou Cope
Lou Cope is a Dramaturg and Artist Development Specialist who has worked in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, America and across the UK. She works in theatre, opera and dance (including ballet, contemporary, South Asian, participatory, hip hop, early years, children’s and inclusive) – indoors and outdoors, at all scales and in numerous contexts.
Current and previous collaborations include; Stina Quagebeur, Gary Clarke, Zoonation, Rhiannon Faith, Aakash Odedra, Stopgap Dance, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Australian Dance Theatre, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Damien Jalet.
Shows Lou has worked on have won several awards including 2 Oliviers (Babel (words) – Cherkaoui & Jalet), UK Theatre & National Dance Awards (Coal – Gary Clarke), and The ACTA Eastern Eye Award (#JeSuis – Aakash Odedra).
“Sustain is one of the most fulfilling and impactful projects I am involved in. I can’t wait to bring people together in a nurturing but also challenging space to dig deep into what they are doing, why, where, how and who for - to try to help ensure that their practice is not only sustainable but also focused, authentic and rewarding.”
FAQs
Each participant will be expected to attend:
- 4x 1-2-1 online sessions
(90 mins each) - 2x group online sessions
(2 hours each) - 1x half-day in-person session
(11 AM – 3 PM) - 1x full-day in-person session
(10.30 AM – 5 PM)
For specific dates, see the Sustain timeline. You must be able to commit to these dates when making your application.
You will also be expected to undertake self-directed development work in between these sessions – the more time you invest in yourself during this programme, the more you will get out of it in the long run.
It’s essential that you can commit to all the group sessions on the timeline. There may be some flexibility on some of the 1-2-1 sessions, but this can only be accommodated under certain circumstances. Sustain dates should take priority in your calendar.
We know that in the arts, there can be little clarity around the term ‘mid-career’. Arts careers are rarely linear and people often hold multiple roles at varying stages of development. Mid-career is not about age; it’s about people with experience and a clear idea about their development goals.
Here are some other ways mid-career can be described (you might just be 1 of these things):
- You have a past, an ongoing present and a future in your art career
- You have been actively pursuing this element of your career or creating work and sharing it for 5-10 years
- You have already established a reputation in your sector
- You share your work more regionally or nationally, to where you are located
- You have built up a large body of work
- You have an established audience for your work
- You have earned various awards or grants for your work
If it’s more accessible for you to make your application by submitting a video or audio file, then you are welcome to do so. Please email your application to hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk by the deadline.
Here are some guidance notes for submitting your application via email:
- Please use the subject line ‘Sustain application submission‘.
- Please attach, or link to, an audio/video application of no more than around 5 minutes in length. This should answer all the questions detailed in the ‘What are the application questions?’ FAQ below.
- In the email, please include the following information:
- Your full name
- Your email address
- Your telephone number
- Your full postcode
- Your connection to Bradford
- Whether you have any access requirements we need to consider when communicating with you, or when handling your application (you’re welcome to upload an access rider too)
To help you prepare your application in advance, here are the main questions asked in the application form:
If you’re applying as a company or an organisation:
- What is the name of your company or organisation?
- Please tell us a bit more about your company or organisation
How long have you been going? What kind of work do you create? Do you have a particular mission or ethos within your organisation? Do you work in a specific style or genre? What are your most notable projects or works? - Please provide any links to your website and social media accounts where we can find out more about you and your work
If you’re applying as an individual:
- Tell us more about your practice
What kind of work do you make, or what types of projects do you run? Do you have a particular mission, ethos or themes within your work? Do you work in a specific style or genre? How long have you been practising? What are your most notable works, projects, works, or performances? - Please provide any links to your professional website, social media accounts, or anywhere else we can find out more about you and your work
All applicants:
- Do you have any access requirements we need to consider when handling your application, communicating with you, or enabling you to participate in this programme?
- What are your access requirements?
You will have the option to upload an access rider in the next question. - What are the challenges, barriers, sticking points, or development needs you are experiencing that this programme could help you to address?
Please be as specific as you can. - What are your future career or company aspirations?
- In what ways do you hope the Sustain programme will support your professional development?
- Why is now a good time for you to join our Sustain programme?
- Is there anything else you want to tell us to support your application? (Optional)
Yes, we can offer bursaries to attend this programme. These are not means-tested, but please only request a bursary if this is something you need to enable you to participate. The bursary is there to cover your time where you would otherwise be working in a freelance capacity. If you are participating as an employee of an organisation, we would expect this time to be covered as part of your working hours.
Bursaries are paid as follows:
- Sessions up to half a day (4 hours) will be paid at £50
- Full-day sessions will be paid at £75
We’ll explain how to apply for this funding upon your offer of a place.
Access funds are also available. Please see the next section for more information.
Yes, we can cover travel and any other access costs that may otherwise present a barrier to you being able to participate in the activity. Access costs include things like childcare and other caring costs; BSL, language and other interpretation costs; as well as access support workers, or any other access costs you might face.
We’ll explain how to apply for this funding upon your offer of a place.
We will assess applications against our eligibility criteria. We’re looking to select applicants who will gain the most from the programme and represent the diverse range of creative practices and communities across the Bradford district. Strong applications will clearly state your professional goals and how you hope the programme will help you to achieve them.
People who have previously completed the Sustain programme are not eligible to apply. If you have previously been unsuccessful in applying to Sustain and you meet the criteria detailed above, you are welcome to make another application to this round.
