Our 3-Year Business Plan

After months of deeply considering how we want the next few years to look and feel, we are pleased to share the key elements of our 2025-2027 Business Plan, as part of our commitment to transparency. The process has been done in collaboration with our stakeholders, including staff, participants, artists, sector partners and community members. 

Who We Are

A group photo of the Spectra office team, six smiley people stood in The Commons, a garden space at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.

We empower change through inclusion: Spectra is dedicated to lifting the capacity of learning disabled and neurodivergent (LDND) people to influence change by co-creating new spaces with them rather than adapting to existing exclusionary spaces. We foster belonging, equity, and meaningful contributions in all our work.

Core values: we are guided by the principles of creating nourishing spaces; acknowledging we are sensory beings in connection with nature; and true collaboration.

A decade of growth and impact: Since 2014, we have grown from project based work to year round activities supported by new Arts Council England NPO status, with a team of 6 staff plus freelance artists.

Our Plans For Who We Work With

Artists - we will increase the number of LD artists we work with, while working more deeply with all our existing artists, to realign with our core mission
Delivery partners - we will strengthen relationships with partners that are most closely aligned to our mission
Audiences - we will grow local and digital audiences through strategic marketing and partnerships to inspire deeper engagement
Sector partners - we will expand collaborations through storytelling, advocacy, and digital platforms
Participants - we will work more deeply with participants, creating responsive opportunities to encourage long term engagement in the arts
Funders - we will diversify our funding via collaborative funding bids, training offers and paid activity

Our Plans For What We Do

LDND leadership: There will be no part of Spectra that isn’t centred on LDND people, from office to strategy to studio to workshops to performance. We will create dynamic and tailored opportunities for LDND artists to influence change in their own lives and communities through their artistic practice and to enable LDND people to develop leadership and management skills and undertake these roles within the arts.

  • Shadow Artist Programme
  • Geeking Out on Governance
  • Phase Two of LDND Managerial Research and space for a leadership role at Spectra in Year 3.
  • Artist Development
A man is helping a child with an art activity, holding a paintbrush and cup. He is wearing a teal spectra tee shirt

Wild Possibilities: We aim to inspire others to pursue similar ways of being by sharing our radically inclusive practice, feeding our practice in the process by being responsive and place-based. We will increase personal agency and long term, meaningful opportunities for an intentionally selected range of community groups and artists through the co-creation of a sustainable community workshop offer in radically inclusive spaces.

  • Spectra and Artist Facilitator Residencies at The Commons 
  • 8 workshops a month, designed and delivered by an LDND majority team
  • Academic research on Spectra’s creative practice 
  • A new working space
Three people stood over a table taking part in a craft activity

Performance: We want to inspire positive action around radical inclusion and environmentalism in theatre makers and audiences. LDND theatre makers will realise their potential and broaden the parameters of what they believe they can achieve through collaborative creative experiences. Audiences will be welcomed into new spaces intentionally and experience theatre which inspires them to make change for themselves and their communities. 

  • Production of Precious Bane 
  • Community Company performance each June
  • Public sharings including Spectra’s exhibition at The People’s Gallery, Mural Project and Lantern Parade
  • R&D for new productions, directed by LDND artists
A group of performers with their hands raised in the air in a fist. They are wearing colourful outfits.

Ambition: Our activity, operations and community will be carefully and robustly sustained for a second decade. To deepen and sustain our impact, we will establish ethical financial robustness; work deeply with carefully selected partners; grow our team’s capacity to enable the work; and develop a physical working and dreaming space. 

  • Expanded staff team 
  • Deliver responsive training for our freelance artists
  • Industry sharing of Research and Governance work
  • Move into a new, co-created space
Two people sharing laughter. They are stood in a green garden space.

If you’re interested in reading our more detailed Business Plan or want to see how we can work together on some of this work, please get in touch!