Newcastle charity awarded £29,000 funding to boost creative industry careers in the north east

Staff at a Newcastle charity are celebrating after being awarded almost £30,000 in funding to expand programmes that help create career opportunities in the creative industries for local people.

New Writing North, based in Newcastle, was awarded the grant by the Regional Creatives Fund, launched by Amazon. New Writing North, the North East's writing development agency, has been awarded £29,750 to deliver its Next Steps programme in 2026.

The year-round skills development programme will support 16-25-year-olds in the North East who face barriers to creative careers, including those from low-income backgrounds and underrepresented communities.

The funding will enable 86 young people to gain invaluable experience and insight into writing-related careers across the creative industries and publishing sector through five bespoke programmes led by skilled writers, industry experts, and publishers.

The initiative supports New Writing North's ambition to establish a nationally significant centre for writing in Newcastle, in partnership with Northumbria University. The centre will serve as a central hub for writers and creatives across the North East, providing a safe, welcoming space for communities and young people while supporting inclusive economy growth in the region.

The Regional Creatives Fund, which aligns with the Government’s Creative Places Growth Fund1, aims to increase access to careers in the creative industries for people from underserved communities. Creative Access, the UK’s leading inclusivity organisation in the creative industries, defines underserved communities as a population proven to be under-represented2 in the sector.

“It’s fantastic to receive this grant from the Regional Creatives Fund and everyone at New Writing North is over the moon to get this brilliant support from Amazon,” said Anna Disley, Executive Director (Programme & Impact) at New Writing North. “The Regional Creatives Fund grant will help our Next Steps programme to reach more people in our community, helping to create pathways to creative industry careers where they don’t currently exist.

“To have the support of Amazon and the Regional Creatives Fund judges has given us a huge boost, and we’re excited to expand our services and increase our reach for the people in our community who need us.”

Grants were awarded by an independent judging panel. The panel included senior leaders from Amazon, The National Theatre, Creative Wales, Arts Council England, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Help Musicians and Music Minds Matter.

Funding applications were assessed across five key areas. Strong proposals reflected the fund’s spirit with energy, optimism, and a clear creative purpose; delivered real impact through skills, access, and industry links; showed a smart, achievable plan with confident delivery; centred inclusion by amplifying underrepresented voices; and built on existing programmes to grow what’s already working.

“New Writing North does incredible work in the community, and we were blown away by its commitment to upskilling people in underserved communities for careers in creative industries,” added Paul Firth, Director, Global Music Industry, Amazon Music and Regional Creatives Fund judge. “Amazon is passionate about creating opportunities for people in Newcastle and across the UK to have access to creative industry careers and we’re excited to support New Writing North as it expands its programmes to have an even greater impact on the community.”

“It was a pleasure to be a part of this important judging panel for the Regional Creatives Fund, that will allocate much needed funding across the UK, creating new opportunities for underrepresented groups to develop their creative skills,” added Joedi Langley, Head of Creative Wales.

Additional Amazon support

In addition to financial support, the Regional Creatives Fund will also use Amazon’s network of creative industry professionals to offer charities pro bono upskilling programmes for their organisations as well as their beneficiaries - including mentoring, work experience, placement opportunities, and digital training. Support will be provided by creative minds from Amazon Music, Prime Video, Amazon Games, and more.

Amazon has invested over £4.2 billion in the UK’s creative industries since 2010, with over 2,000 people permanently working across our Film and TV, music and audio, books and publishing, fashion, and gaming businesses, and supporting 16,000 additional jobs.

Amazon’s creative industries footprint extends across the entire UK: from acquiring the historic Bray Film Studios in Berkshire last year, which will house the production of the next season of Citadel; to the long-term contract with Shepperton Studios for exclusive use of new state-of-the-art production facilities at the Surrey studios where The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is currently filming; Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock in Wales; Harlan Coben’s Lazarus in Manchester; productions at First Stage Studios and Leigh Studios in Edinburgh; and multiple productions on location in and around London such as the live action movie Masters of the Universe.

The Amazon Literary Partnership has been awarding grants to inspiring non-profit literary organisations, writing centres and community engagement programmes groups since it was first launched in the UK six years ago. While each has a different focus, all have a shared goal of uplifting and offering opportunities to aspiring writers at any stage of their creative journey, and empowering those from underrepresented communities to experience and contribute to the magic of storytelling through the written word.

Amazon Music is committed to expanding access to UK music talent through a series of targeted initiatives. Partnerships with organizations including the BRIT Trust, Amplify, and the Association for Independent Music support new creative professionals entering the industry. The Step-Up Fund, a collaboration with the Featured Artists Coalition, will launch its fourth year in 2025. This fund provides financial support to emerging independent artists by offering development grants. Since its inception, Step-Up has distributed £250,000 to more than 30 UK musicians, including both bands and solo artists across multiple genres. These grants enable artists to fund new recordings, touring costs, marketing campaigns, PR activities, video production, and content creation.

As part of its global strategy to shape a more inclusive audio-storytelling industry, Audible is partnering with multiple institutions in the UK to support creative development programmes, from funding scholarships and classes at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA), to sponsoring the Barbican Young Poets Program and Women's Prize for Fiction Discoveries Programme.