GMAST

What GMAST does

GMAST (Greater Manchester Arts Sustainability Team) is a non-profit collaborative network that brings together over 80 cultural and creative organisations across Greater Manchester — spanning theatres, museums, broadcasters, festivals, music venues, libraries and community arts centres — to address the climate and ecological crisis. Founded in 2011 as MAST and rebranded to GMAST in 2021 to reflect its expansion across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, the network is administered informally through in-kind contributions of time and is funded by membership dues scaled to each organisation's funding or turnover, supplemented by grants from bodies such as GMCA Culture and URBACT. Its core deliverables are the GMAST Guide to Taking Action eLearning tool, a culture-specific Carbon Literacy training programme developed with HOME and the Carbon Literacy Project, sustainable events guidance, and the proprietary 6 Ps / 6 Is methodology, alongside the international C-Change transfer network active in five European cities.

The network's primary customers are Greater Manchester-based cultural and creative organisations plus individual freelancers and practitioners, with secondary reach into European municipalities seeking to replicate the Manchester model under the URBACT-backed C-Change programme. Strategic partners include Julie's Bicycle (founding partner), the Manchester Climate Change Agency, the Manchester Climate Change Partnership, the Carbon Literacy Project, Manchester City Council, and GMCA Culture. The Convenor, Simon Curtis, operates through Culture meets Climate and is working with GMCA Culture funding to formalise the network as a co-operative and pilot a secondment/resource model.

Commercially, GMAST is not a product or SaaS business and has no public pricing, no API, no proprietary software platform beyond its Squarespace-hosted site and eLearning module, and no disclosed revenue or headcount. Growth signals are qualitative (member count, geographic expansion via C-Change, replication by sister networks SAIL and SHIFT, co-operative transition), and the moat rests on network effects, decade-long reputational assets (URBACT Good Practice City 2017, Manchester Culture Award 2018), and institutional embedding in Manchester's climate-policy architecture rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

GMAST

Legal name

GMAST (Greater Manchester Arts Sustainability Team)

Website

https://g-mast.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

GMAST is a non-profit network of 80+ cultural and creative organisations across Greater Manchester that collaborates on climate and ecological action through shared training, Carbon Literacy programmes, and the 6 Ps/6 Is methodology, with international reach via the C-Change transfer network in five European cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Network Membership Contributions: GMAST is funded through financial contributions made by participating organisations according to the scale of their funding or turnover. All funds are used to help the network explore common challenges and report progress. The network is an informal network administered through in-kind contributions of time.
2. Grant Funding: GMAST has received grant funding from GMCA Culture's Collaborate Funding to become a co-operative, create a gathering, and pilot a resource model of secondees. Additional funding from URBACT supported the C-Change transfer network.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GMAST is a non-profit collaborative network that brings together 80+ Greater Manchester cultural and creative organisations and individuals to address the climate and ecological crisis. It delivers sector-specific Carbon Literacy training (developed with HOME), the free GMAST Guide to Taking Action eLearning tool, knowledge-sharing events, research projects, and the URBACT-funded C-Change international transfer network that shares its model with five European cities.

Product overview

GMAST (Greater Manchester Arts Sustainability Team) is a network organization rather than a software product company. It provides a portfolio of services including the GMAST Guide to Taking Action eLearning tool, Carbon Literacy Training programmes, Sustainable Events Guides, and the C-Change international network. These services collectively support the cultural and creative sector in Greater Manchester to address climate and ecological crises through collaboration, training, resources, and knowledge sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GMAST Guide to Taking Action eLearning

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Manchester Climate Change AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Established in 2015 to lead Manchester's climate change strategy. GMAST works with the agency as a member of Manchester Climate Change Partnership, contributing to city strategy development and implementation.
• Julie’s BicyclecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Long-standing strategic partner from GMAST's founding in 2011. Julie's Bicycle is a pioneering not-for-profit mobilising arts and culture on climate action. Provides expertise, training, tools (including Creative Green Tools and carbon calculators), research, and consultancy. Supported MAST's formation and continues as key partner for capacity building and programme delivery including C-Change.
• Manchester Climate Change PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGMAST represents culture on this partnership which oversees and champions climate action in Manchester. One of 10 pioneer sectors developing aligned action plans.
• Carbon Literacy ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGMAST works with the Carbon Literacy Project to deliver culture-specific Carbon Literacy training. The project is globally unique and was recognised by the UN at COP21 as a TAP100 Transformative Action Programme.
• Green Growth HubminorOthersPart of The Growth Company providing practical advice and funding information for businesses. Has helped GMAST and member organisations with green technologies and resource efficiency guidance.
• Creative Carbon ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSimilar network for arts and culture in Scotland working on environmental sustainability. A source of resources and information for the sector.
• URBACTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean urban development programme that supported the C-Change transfer network. Provided Good Practice City recognition in 2017 and funded the C-Change programme with 5 European cities.
• Manchester City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey municipal partner supporting GMAST. Aligns cultural funding with climate change strategy. Provides sustainable events guidance and manages C-Change programme on UK side.
• SAIL (Sustainable Arts in Leeds)minorOthersFounded in 2018 inspired by MAST model. Co-founded by ITV and Opera North. Name is homage to MAST.
• SHIFT (Liverpool)minorOthersNewer sustainability network for cultural organisations in Liverpool City Region, founded by Metal.
• Mantova (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC-Change partner city. Created ARC3A collaboration continuing beyond C-Change. Secured over €0.5 million for sector climate action. Developing national initiative to transfer C-Change model to 6 Italian cities.
• Wroclaw (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC-Change partner city. Established climate literacy training with 4 sector trainers and 48 people trained. Created Green Culture grants programme. City library developed eco-DIY initiative.
• Águeda (Portugal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC-Change partner city. Local C-Change group thriving despite COVID. Artists empowered through climate training, passing knowledge through art including urban street art initiatives.
• Gelsenkirchen (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC-Change partner city in the Ruhr region. Created DIE KLIMARTIST*EN network for climate action through culture. City intends to involve cultural sector in new climate action strategy.
• Šibenik (Croatia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC-Change partner city. Achieved more than expected through modest micro-grants. Created annual C-Change Festival. Department of Economy actively seeking environmental project funding.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BAFTA albert: UK organisation driving sustainability across the film and TV industry through carbon calculators, training, and certification. Comparable peer operating in an adjacent cultural sub-sector with the same industry-specific capacity-building approach.
• SAIL (Sustainable Arts in Leeds): Leeds-based arts sustainability network founded in 2018, explicitly named as a homage to MAST/GMAST. Closest direct peer — same model, same sector focus, same network-driven approach, in a neighbouring UK city.
• Creative Carbon Scotland: Scottish membership network supporting arts organisations on environmental sustainability. Highly comparable to GMAST — provides Carbon Literacy training, sector-specific resources, and peer support for cultural organisations tackling climate change.
• Julie's Bicycle: UK charity mobilising arts and culture on climate action; provides training, tools (Creative Green Tools), and consultancy. Direct peer to GMAST — overlapping mission on cultural-sector environmental sustainability and a strategic partner since 2011.
• Broadway Green Alliance: US coalition helping the Broadway theatre industry become more environmentally sustainable. Direct international peer — same mission of mobilising theatre and live performance on climate, similar network-and-resource model.
• SHIFT (Liverpool): Liverpool-based sustainability network for cultural organisations, founded by Metal. Sister network to GMAST operating the same membership-and-training model in a neighbouring UK city region.
• Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA): US-based organisation supporting arts and cultural institutions in adopting sustainable practices. Comparable international peer operating in the same niche of arts-sector sustainability with training and resource provision.

Broad incumbents

• Arts Council England: National development agency for arts and culture in England, with Environmental Responsibility as one of four 2020–30 investment principles. Comparable as a major funder and policy shaper influencing the same member organisations GMAST serves.

Emerging players

• Carbon Literacy Project: Manchester-based social enterprise offering Carbon Literacy training globally, recognised by the UN at COP21. Comparable as the foundational training partner for GMAST's core training offering, but operates as an independent training body rather than a sector-specific network.

Regional players

• Manchester Climate Change Partnership: City-wide partnership overseeing Manchester's climate strategy with 10 pioneer sectors. GMAST sits on this partnership and represents the cultural sector within it — comparable as a regional coordination body but broader in scope beyond cultural organisations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GMASTaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gmast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GMAST