In Place of War (IPOW) is a Manchester based charity that supports grassroots arts based social change processes in communities affected by conflict, social injustice and climate change. Emerging from a major Arts Humanities Research Council funded research project at University of Manchester in 2004, the initial research findings were the catalyst to developing practical strategies and activities to boost capacity of grassroots arts movements and amplify their impact.
Today, IPOW supports a network of 130 change-makers across 30 countries through the co-creation of projects that seek to advance just, fairer and more peaceful futures for disadvantaged communities. This includes the development of physical cultural spaces in communities, access to education and training, and platforms to showcase talent and share alternative forms of knowledge production.
Our vision is to live in a world where creativity catalysts change.
During its 20 year history, In Place of War has developed a number of strategically important partnerships from a range of key stakeholders in the fields of arts, business, education, government, trusts, foundations and donors. These include the British Council, Stanley Thomas Johnson, University of Manchester, Mastercard Foundation, Sainsbury Family Trust, PRS Foundation, Arts Council England, Gulbenkian Foundation, Shambala Festival, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Roland and the UK government.
The organization has been awarded numerous awards for its work in arts and social change processes including, the Making a Difference Award (in 2017, 2019 and 2022),Gulbenkian Civic Arts Prize (2021) and The WOMEX Award forProfessional Excellence (2024) and was shortlisted for the UNESCO Creative Economy for Sustainable Development Prize in 2021.
