Sustainability challenges for social enterprises in cultural and creative sectors - A case study of IMPACD CIC

This research explores the sustainability challenges of social enterprises in the cultural and creative sectors, focusing on IMPACD CIC, a grassroots creative organisation in Nottingham, UK. Operating at the intersection of CCIs and social enterprise, such organisations navigate tensions between financial sustainability and social or cultural missions. Existing literature often oversimplifies this conflict, emphasises commercial activity in large organisations, and overlooks the contributions of smaller arts-based enterprises. Using IMPACD as a case study, the research examines challenges including inadequate funding, undervalued creative labour, displacement, and policy misalignments, alongside commitments to inclusion and community engagement. Despite these obstacles, IMPACD employs arts-based practices to combat social exclusion, inequality, and loneliness, demonstrating the potential of creative social enterprises to address marginalisation. While they cannot fully dismantle systemic exclusion, these organisations raise awareness and offer tangible support to marginalised communities. The study highlights the need for greater support and recognition, advocating policies and financial frameworks that enable creative social enterprises to expand their social and cultural impact, contributing to sustainable and inclusive urban environments. • The sustainability challenges of creative social enterprises are oversimplified. • The contributions of small, arts-based creative social enterprises are undervalued. • Grassroots strategies to combat systemic exclusion and marginalisation. • Art-base practices as the transformative tool to address exclusion and isolation. • Call for policy support; empower enterprises' social and cultural impact expansion.