Arts & Business NI

Five women are standing in a row. They are dressed casually and smiling at the camera in front of a wall with two brightly coloured pictures.

Arts & Business NI is a creative membership network bringing together cultural and commercial businesses, helping them grow stronger together through the power of partnership. We advocate for the value of arts, invest in innovation, and ensure that the NI arts and cultural sector has the confidence, capacity, and skills to achieve creative freedom through financial independence.

Based in Belfast, but supporting a network of over 200 organisations across Northern Ireland, we are a growing team of 7 staff with expertise across cultural strategy, business support and creative consultation, arts sponsorship and fundraising, communications, governance and professional development.

Motivation for Living Wage Accreditation

People are at the heart of our organisation and we were already committed to the principles of the Living Wage, so this was a natural next step. Accreditation provided an opportunity to formally demonstrate our commitment to fair pay and our role as a responsible employer.

Implementation Process

The process was incredibly smooth and straightforward. We had a meeting with The Living Wage NI regional manager where we chatted about our organisational values and the benefits of formally accrediting with Living Wage NI. Within hours of submitting our application form, Arts & Business NI was officially welcomed into the Living Wage Network. 

Benefits of Living Wage Accreditation

As a membership organisation supporting more than 200 organisations across Northern Ireland’s arts and business sectors, we believe it is important to lead by example. By becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer, we can actively champion responsible and sustainable employment practices and the benefits across all sectors.

“Being a values-led organisation means putting our principles into practice. That’s why becoming a Living Wage Employer was an important step for us. Although we already invest in our people and pay wages that reflect the real cost of living, accreditation allows us to be loud and proud about this, demonstrating the value of the people who make our mission possible. We’re proud to make this commitment and lead by example as we encourage our member network across the arts and business to do the same”

- Brona Whittaker, CEO, Arts & Business NI