Our Aims

The National Development Strategy for Culture and The Arts 2017-2027, was approved by Tynwald in July 2017.

'Arts, culture and creativity for everyone' is a shared vision for the Isle of Man where arts and culture are at the heart of our everyday life and everyone has the opportunity to be creative.

The IOM Arts Council and Culture Vannin both work to promote and develop arts and culture on the Isle of Man, but we do so in very different and wholly distinct ways.

Working together we have identified six key ambitions that will help deliver our shared vision:

• Inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy culture and the arts.
• Invest in the Island's creative and cultural communities so that they are successful and sustainable.
• Promote our unique Manx culture and distinctiveness as central to the Island's image, nationally and internationally.
• Champion the arts and culture as fundamental to our wellbeing and sense of place.
• Inspire and enable people to explore new horizons through innovation, media and technology.

2017: National Development Strategy for Culture and the Arts 2017 - 2022.

2018: Isle of Man Arts Council and Culture Vannin 2018 report to the Council of Ministers.

2019: Isle of Man Arts Council and Culture Vannin 2019 report to the Council of Ministers.

2020: Isle of Man Arts Council and Culture Vannin 2020 report to the Council of Ministers.

2021 - 2022: Review and relaunch of updated National Development Strategy for Culture and the Arts 2022 - 2027.

2022-2023: End of Year Six of National Development Strategy for Culture and the Arts Progress Report

2023-2024: End of Year Seven of National Development Strategy for Culture and the Arts Progress Report

2024-2025: End of Year Eight of National Development strategy for Culture and the Arts Progress Report

The Creative Industries have the potential to stimulate economic growth, regenerate our island’s towns and villages, and contribute to a vibrant community. The terms 'Creative Sector' and 'Cultural Sector' are also used in the Isle of Man, which doesn’t have a formal definition of the 'Creative Industries'.

The UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) has defined the creative industries as “those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property.”

DCMS has grouped the creative industries into the following sub-sectors:

• advertising and marketing
• architecture
• crafts
• design and designer fashion
• film, TV, radio and photography
• museums, galleries and libraries
• music, performing and visual arts
• publishing
• IT, software and computer services (includes video games)

The Isle of Man Arts Council supports the development of the Creative Sector on Island through:

Funding support via the Creative Industries scheme - Offering grants up to £5,000 for applications that can demonstrate growth and innovation from Manx-registered and operated businesses. Please see this guidance document in pdf format (500kb).

Creative Sector Sessions - Informal knowledge sharing and networking events hosted in Douglas throughout autumn, exploring themes including digital marketing, event management and sustaining an arts practice on island. Full details and dates of the 2026 programme will be announced soon.

Funding support for Short Films - to produce live-action short films or documentaries to be shot exclusively on the Isle of Man. Maximum grant available is £15,000, and this must be match-funded from other sources. Please see this short film guidance document in pdf format (458kb).

The Isle of Man Government’s Department for Enterprise (DFE) offer support to businesses through schemes such as:
Business Start-Up Scheme (BSUS)
Business Consultancy Scheme (BCS)
Domestic Event Fund - the Domestic Event Fund aims to foster vibrant communities and support the retail, leisure, and hospitality sectors in line with the Local Economy Strategy. Details of all DFE schemes and support available

Contacts
Jim Rawson, Arts Development Manager, Jim.Rawson@gov.im
Department for Enterprise Business Support team: https://www.iomdfenterprise.im/contact-us/