Creative Lives
Creative Lives is a UK-registered charity founded in 1991 that supports and encourages everyday creativity across the UK and Ireland, serving volunteer-led creative groups, individuals, and partner organizations through free programs funded by four national arts councils.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Creative Lives does
Creative Lives is a UK-registered charity (Creative Lives Charity Limited, Charity No. SC 020345, Company No. 139147) founded in 1991 that supports and encourages everyday creativity across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The organization operates as a free public service, with no fees charged for its core offerings, and is funded primarily through grants from four national arts councils (Arts Council England, Arts Council Ireland, Creative Scotland, and Arts Council Wales) along with project-specific support from the National Lottery Community Fund, Historic England, the Mohn Westlake Foundation, and other institutional funders, plus public donations. It serves volunteer-led creative groups, individuals seeking creative participation, BBC Local Radio stations, local authorities, and Cities of Culture organizations through a hybrid community-led and event-driven go-to-market model. The core staff team of approximately 9 is supported by expert advisers and place-based freelancers, led by Chief Executive Max May (appointed April 2026).
The organization's core products include Creative Lives On Air — a flagship partnership with 18+ BBC Local Radio stations producing radio and podcast content showcasing everyday creativity, reaching up to 200,000 listeners per station; the Creativity Map — a web-based online directory enabling users to discover local creative groups or add their own group; Creative Places — place-based community programs (including Creative Places Edenderry in the Republic of Ireland); the Creative Lives Awards; and policy and research publications. Underlying technology consists of a web-based platform with a content management system and a community directory, integrated via formal partnerships with BBC local radio broadcast infrastructure for distribution. Additional programs include Lift the Lid and Lift the Lid: 23 Voices (youth engagement in partnership with LEEDS 2023), Creative Shout Out (supporting Black grassroots creativity in Sheffield), Know Your Neighbourhood, and the Let's Talk Tech micro-grant initiative. The organization maintains offices in Edinburgh (registered office) and Cardiff (principal place of business), and distributes its services through BBC radio broadcasts, its website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, BlueSky), email newsletter, and direct place-based community engagement.
The business model is that of a registered charity: revenue is grant-driven rather than transactional, services are provided free of charge, and the organization is independently governed with no parent company or external equity ownership. Its growth depends on the willingness of public arts funders to continue supporting community-based creative engagement, and its competitive positioning rests on the breadth of its BBC radio distribution network and its multi-jurisdictional footprint spanning all four UK nations and the Republic of Ireland — a coverage profile few peers in the everyday-creativity sector can match.
Creative Lives firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Creative Lives
- Legal name
- Creative Lives Charity Limited
- Website
- https://creative-lives.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Creative Lives is a UK-registered charity founded in 1991 that supports and encourages everyday creativity across the UK and Ireland, serving volunteer-led creative groups, individuals, and partner organizations through free programs funded by four national arts councils.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Creative Lives industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Arts and Culture Charity Services
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)
Keywords
Where Creative Lives is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Creative Lives business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Grants and Funding: Primary revenue from government and arts council funding including Arts Council England, Arts Council Ireland, Creative Scotland, Arts Council Wales, The National Lottery Community Fund, and other institutional funders.
- Donations: Accepts charitable donations through website donation portal for public support.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
Creative Lives product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Creative Lives is a registered charity that supports and encourages people to be creative in their everyday lives through free programs, resources, and partnerships. It delivers community-based creative activities, place-based projects, and BBC Local Radio broadcast partnerships across the UK and Ireland, funded primarily by national arts councils and lottery grants.
Product overview
Creative Lives is a charitable organization operating as a unified offering focused on supporting and encouraging everyday creativity across the UK and Ireland. The core offering includes the Creative Lives On Air program (a BBC Local Radio partnership for radio and podcast production), the Creativity Map (an online directory of creative groups), place-based Creative Places projects, the Creative Lives Awards, and resources including funding guidance, volunteering opportunities, policy research, and case studies. Additional programs include Lift the Lid (youth creative engagement), Lift the Lid: 23 Voices (podcasting training), and Creative Shout Out (supporting Black grassroots creativity).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Creative Lives charitable programs and resources The umbrella charitable offering of Creative Lives: free programs, resources, funding information, volunteering opportunities, and community-based creative activities supporting volunteer-led creative groups and individuals across the UK and Ireland.
- Creative Lives On Air A partnership program with BBC Local Radio stations producing broadcast content that showcases everyday creativity from local communities across the UK, including bespoke learning and training opportunities in radio and podcast making.
- Creativity Map An online directory tool that allows users to discover local creative groups in their area or add their own group to the platform, supporting visibility and discovery of community-led creative activity across the UK and Ireland.
- Creative Places Edenderry A place-based project in Edenderry, Republic of Ireland, that supports local creative activity and community wellbeing.
- Lift the Lid A program raising awareness of creative and cultural participation for young people, exploring how poetry, creative writing, and music can improve wellbeing, delivered in partnership with BBC Radio Leeds and LEEDS 2023.
- Lift the Lid: 23 Voices A podcasting and journalism course for young people aged 16-25, co-hosted with LEEDS 2023, providing skills and confidence to create media about culture that matters to participants.
- Creative Shout Out A project supporting Black grassroots creativity in Sheffield, led by Creative Lives in partnership with BBC Radio Sheffield and funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
- Creative Lives Awards Awards program recognizing and celebrating creative achievements in everyday life across the UK and Ireland.
- Know Your Neighbourhood A program focused on community engagement and creative activities within local neighborhoods, delivered as part of Creative Lives' place-based portfolio.
- Funding and Volunteering Resources A curated resource hub listing funding opportunities, arts volunteering opportunities, and creative opportunities to support participation in creative activities across the UK and Ireland.
- Policy and Research Policy and research publications including place reports providing guidance and insights on everyday creativity and community engagement.
- Let's Talk Tech A micro-grant initiative encouraging creative groups to share how technology has helped their creative activities, with small prize funds of £250/€290 available.
- Case Studies Stories of creativity showcasing examples of creative participation across the UK and Ireland, published as a content resource on the Creative Lives website.
Quantifiable outcome
- Research by Nick Ewbank Associates concluded that people participating in Creative Lives On Air projects experienced an enhanced sense of wellbeing
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Creative Lives
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Creative Lives technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Creative Lives partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BBC Local Radio StationscoreFlagship partnership with BBC local radio stations across the UK (including Radio Merseyside, Radio Berkshire, Radio Cumbria, Radio Devon, Radio Humberside, Radio Lancashire, Radio Leeds, Radio Lincolnshire, Radio London, Radio Norfolk, Radio Sheffield, Radio Stoke, Radio Suffolk, Radio Tees, Radio West Midlands, Radio Wales, Radio York) producing Creative Lives On Air content showcasing everyday creativity.
- RedFM CorkminorPartnership with community radio station in Cork, Republic of Ireland for Creative Lives On Air content.
- BBC Contains Strong LanguageminorPartnership with BBC Contains Strong Language festival for Creative Lives On Air broadcasts.
- LEEDS 2023coreMajor partnership for Leeds Year of Culture delivering Lift the Lid program including podcasting and journalism courses for 23 young people, and supporting youth creative engagement across the city.
- HEY CreativeminorConnection through leadership transition; Max May moved from HEY Creative (Cultural Compact for Hull and East Yorkshire) to become CEO of Creative Lives.
- CraftspacecorePartnership with Birmingham-based organization supporting migrant and refugee women through craft skills development; Creative Lives publishes volunteering opportunities for Shelanu collective.
- Heritage CraftsminorPartner for The Making of Coventry project, collaborating on craft workshops and Heritage Crafts annual conference.
- Studio12minorPartner supporting Lift the Lid: 23 Voices podcasting course for young people in Leeds.
- Easington Social Welfare CentrecoreCommunity partner for Northern Souls project documenting history of The Welly community center in County Durham.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Creative Lives competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Craftspace: Birmingham-based craft development charity working with communities (including the Shelanu collective of migrant and refugee women). Directly comparable as a UK community-focused arts nonprofit and named Creative Lives partner.
- HEY Creative: Cultural Compact for Hull and East Yorkshire, formerly led by Max May before he joined Creative Lives. Comparable as a UK place-based cultural development organization operating in a City of Culture legacy geography.
- Rural Arts: North Yorkshire arts charity and Arts Council England NPO where incoming CEO Max May previously served as CEO. Highly comparable community-arts charity with place-based delivery in under-served areas.
- Voluntary Arts: UK and Ireland charity that champions amateur and community arts participation. Highly comparable in mission (supporting everyday creativity), geographic scope (UK + Ireland), and beneficiary base (volunteer-led creative groups and individuals).
- Heritage Crafts: UK charity safeguarding traditional craft skills. Directly comparable as a UK arts/heritage nonprofit working with grassroots makers; named partner of Creative Lives on Coventry's Making of Coventry project.
Others
- NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): UK umbrella body for the voluntary sector. Gareth Coles (Creative Lives' Profile Director) previously worked at NCVO as Development Officer. Adjacent ecosystem relationship rather than direct competitor.
- Locality: UK national network supporting community-led organizations. Comparable in supporting place-based community development and local authority partnerships, though broader than arts specifically.
Broad incumbents
- Arts Council England: National development agency for arts and culture in England. Functions primarily as a core funder of Creative Lives rather than a competitor, but defines the strategic framework within which Creative Lives operates.
Emerging players
- Sound Connections: UK charity supporting music education and community music-making. Comparable as a UK community-arts delivery charity working with young people, but narrower scope (music only).
- Apples and Snakes: England's leading performance poetry organization. Partial overlap with Creative Lives' spoken word and creative writing programming (e.g., Lift the Lid) but narrower in focus on spoken word.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Creative Lives social profiles
Digital presenceCreative Lives financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Creative Lives leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Creative Lives funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Creative Lives M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Creative Lives
What does Creative Lives do?
Creative Lives is a registered charity that supports and encourages people to be creative in their everyday lives through free programs, resources, and partnerships. It delivers community-based creative activities, place-based projects, and BBC Local Radio broadcast partnerships across the UK and Ireland, funded primarily by national arts councils and lottery grants.
Is Creative Lives a public or private company?
Creative Lives is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Creative Lives founded?
Creative Lives was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Creative Lives based?
Creative Lives is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Creative Lives make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Charitable Grants and Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations.
Who are Creative Lives's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Craftspace, HEY Creative, Rural Arts, Voluntary Arts and Heritage Crafts. Others are NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) and Locality. Arts Council England is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Sound Connections and Apples and Snakes.
Does Creative Lives have an API?
No public API is recorded for Creative Lives.
What industry is Creative Lives in?
Creative Lives's product category is Community Arts and Culture Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAB, Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music). Its NAICS code is 71.