Manasamitra has a 17-year history of producing and presenting exciting, entertaining and educational cross-cultural performances and projects, focussing mainly on music concerts and also presenting other activities and events involving storytelling, dance, theatre and film. We have worked with many different audiences from a range of different communities, with projects ranging from local community participatory activities, to schools education projects to international festival performance commissions.
How you can help us
Manasamitra is constantly experimenting with ways to develop our unique creative voice, working with musicians and artists from different cultures and backgrounds to present new and exciting experiences for our public. The new is often challenging so we are constantly seeking ways to support our work. You can be a part of this creative journey, supporting Manasamitra by donating to one of the areas listed below:
Manasamitra – Core support
The most difficult thing for all creative and cultural organisations is to find support for the basic (and un-glamorous) running costs of the company which are essential for the work to continue. Your donation will help to meet those basic costs, keeping the company going so that we can continue to present fantastic projects and performances to our local communities, offering opportunities to artists at different stages of their career and creating unique performances locally and internationally.
Project Development
One of the most challenging aspects of raising funds to support our exciting range of project activity is finding what is called “match funding”. Most funding organisations e.g. Arts Council England or Trusts and Foundations, require evidence of other income for any given project as a condition of applying for funds. This can present a ‘chicken and egg’ situation where arts and cultural companies are all trying to find ‘match funding’ before they can begin to make applications to larger bodies. Whilst there is always an element of earned income, we want as many people as possible to access our work so are keen to keep ticket prices low. By donating to project development you will be providing that essential ‘match funding’ that will provide leverage for funds from other sources.
Mentoring and Training
Manasamitra successfully developed a new strand to its offer, aimed at young women from ethnic minority communities who are at an early stage of a composing career. This strand of work was a direct result of Artistic Director Supriya Nagarajan’s difficulties in finding a mentor for her own creative journey and her wish to provide support for other young women.
We have been successful in obtaining funds for a second project, which will see 6 young women participating in mentoring that includes working across musical genres, promoting themselves and their work and how to manage themselves as a business. We aim to develop a model that will enable this to become a self-supporting and permanent strand of Manasamitra activity, investing in the future of our industry and ensuring a more diverse and exciting future offer. We are keen to keep any future fees low and donations here will support funding future mentoring projects and/or keep fee levels for mentees at a low rate.
