About this research project
This blog is part of my Go See Share Fund series, supported by Creative Scotland. The fund supports artists and collectives to travel, connect, and learn from others working in innovative and community-led ways. Through this research, I’ve been speaking with organisations that are reimagining what sustainability can look like in the arts - financially, structurally, and socially.
For Flos Collective, which is still a small, mostly volunteer-led CIC in Glasgow, sustainability is something we’re actively figuring out. We’ve proven that our pay-what-you-can events work - they reach new audiences and create space for artists who might otherwise be excluded - but they don’t yet provide a stable financial model. Speaking with Fierce Festival offered a view of what happens when a grassroots, politically-driven organisation grows in scale while trying to stay true to its core values.
About Fierce
Fierce Festival was founded in Birmingham in 1998, initially as a queer performance festival. At the time, there were very few platforms for experimental, politically engaged, or LGBTQ+ live art in the UK. Fierce filled that gap with energy and activism.
Over the years, it has evolved into one of the UK’s leading festivals for experimental performance, live art and interdisciplinary work. While its scope is now global, its identity remains firmly rooted in its queer origins - not only in terms of representation but in its approach to risk, play and community.
Around twelve years ago, Fierce transitioned to a biannual model, allowing time between festivals for research, fundraising and organisational reflection. That rhythm - alternating between activity and regrouping - has become key to their long-term sustainability.
How Fierce funds and structures itself
Fierce is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO), receiving £133,000 per year. That figure has not increased in fifteen years, despite rising costs and inflation. For context, £133k is roughly the same grant given to small producing organisations with a fraction of Fierce’s output - and yet Fierce delivers an internationally significant festival with that same level of funding.
To make this work, they’ve had to think creatively about their funding mix. Their ideal model would be one-third box office income, one-third partnerships with venues and co-commissioners, and one-third international funding. In reality, it looks quite different:
Around 70% of their income currently comes from international partnerships, often through embassies or cultural institutions supporting artists from their own countries.
Roughly 25% comes from box office sales, with strong audience loyalty and high attendance rates (around 86% of tickets sold).
The remaining 5% comes from venue partnerships and sponsorships.
They also run Club Fierce, a ticketed fundraiser that combines club culture with performance, generating both income and visibility.
Still, as Artistic Director Clayton Lee explained, the financial reality is tight. To maintain artistic ambition and fair artist pay, Fierce often operates on a surplus-deficit cycle - building up reserves in non-festival years and spending them during festival years. The 2024 festival, for instance, was partially funded by surplus carried over from the pandemic period, when activities were limited.
Balancing accessibility and artist pay
One of the biggest challenges for any festival - including ours at Flos Collective - is ensuring that artists are paid fairly while keeping events affordable for audiences. Fierce approaches this through clear financial boundaries and transparent conversations with artists.
Fierce keeps ticket prices at accessible levels, with three price tiers and early bird discounts. A standard performance ticket is around £18 (£15 concession), and multi-event passes encourage audiences to see more work. Despite near sell-out figures, ticket income still doesn’t cover the cost of production - reinforcing that accessibility often requires subsidy.
For Flos, this reality is both eye-opening and inspiring. Even large-scale, long-established festivals struggle with the same equation: how to make art accessible without underpaying artists. Fierce’s example shows that success doesn’t come from solving this tension, but from acknowledging it and managing it transparently.
Partnership, reputation and trust
Another key lesson from Fierce is the importance of strategic partnerships. With venues tightening budgets and funders at capacity, building trust and reciprocity with partners is everything.
Fierce’s reputation after 30 years means embassies and international funders seek them out, often co-funding artists’ participation. But these relationships didn’t appear overnight - they were built over decades through consistency and clarity. The team emphasised the need to truly understand each partner’s values and tailor communication to align with them.
They also spoke about the significance of peer networks - maintaining strong connections with similar festivals such as Take Me Somewhere (Glasgow), Buzzcut (Glasgow) and Rhubarb (Toronto). Through collaboration and exchange, they share costs, artists and audiences. This web of relationships is what keeps independent festivals alive.
What Flos Collective can learn
There’s a lot that Flos Collective can take from Fierce - not in scale, but in attitude and structure.
Plan long-term, budget short-term. Fierce works in five-year cycles but budgets conservatively, planning for flexibility. For Flos, adopting a similar rhythm could help us avoid burnout and think more strategically about how projects connect to one another.
Diversify partnerships. While we may not yet have access to international funders, we can begin building small but consistent local partnerships - with venues, funders, and community organisations - rooted in mutual benefit.
Value reputation as a currency. Fierce’s credibility opens doors. For Flos, visibility and consistency will be crucial - showing funders and collaborators that we’re serious, reliable and principled.
Hold onto accessibility. Fierce’s ticketing model - flexible tiers, early bird options, and pay-what-you-can for certain events - reinforces that financial accessibility can be part of a sustainable structure when planned for from the outset.
Build rhythm into the work. The biannual cycle that Fierce uses is as much about wellbeing as finances. Alternating periods of activity and rest ensures creative reflection. Flos could experiment with seasonal programming or alternating “festival” and “development” phases.
Reflection
Fierce Festival is a powerful example of what happens when an organisation refuses to compromise its values, even as it grows. It shows that sustainability isn’t about endless expansion - it’s about rhythm, clarity and community.
What resonated most for me is how they balance scale with care. Even as they collaborate internationally, Fierce stays rooted in the communities that shaped it. Their work proves that ambition doesn’t have to mean detachment, and professionalism doesn’t have to mean hierarchy.
For Flos Collective, these lessons feel particularly relevant as we start thinking about the next phase of our development. We may not have a multi-year grant or an international network (yet), but we can start adopting the same mindset - building stability through trust, planning and generosity.
Fierce reminded me that sustainability isn’t just about numbers; it’s about maintaining the courage to do bold, inclusive and meaningful work - on our own terms.
– Esme, Co-Director, Flos Collective
