The Freelancers' Handbook and Resources Directory 2026

The Freelancers’ Handbook and Resources Directory 2026

By Arts Council England

SUMMARY

Written by freelancers, for freelancers, the Freelancers Handbook by Arts Council England offers practical support to freelancers across the cultural sector, and guidance for the organisations that work with them. It covers essential topics including contracts, fees, funding, tax, business development, and professional wellbeing. And it's accompanied by a Resources Directory, providing listings of paid work opportunities, funded programmes and skills development training.

Written by freelancers, for freelancers, the Freelancers’ Handbook includes insights by a Freelancers Advisory Circle including cultural consultant Rachel Mapplebeck, and contributors Leila d’Aronville, founder of North East Cultural Freelancers and newly appointed Freelance Champion for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, producer and consultant Caitriona Shoobridge, and scholar, researcher, writer, and teacher Dr. Furaha Asani. Together, they analysed Arts Council’s existing policies and assisted in the development of the Freelancers’ Handbook and the accompanying Resources Directory, the latter of which will be refreshed continuously with new opportunities, paid commissions, funding programmes, and skills development training.

The handbook is a cornerstone for freelancers and includes chapters on:

‘How to grow your network and win business’ by Rachel Mapplebeck;
‘Peer Support Networks: Why they matter and how to find yours’ by Leila d’Aronville;
‘Fair Play: Overcoming barriers in the cultural sector’ by Caitriona Shoobridge, and;
‘Promoting mental health and equality for freelancers’ by Dr. Furaha Asani.

Both the Freelancers’ Handbook and the accompanying live Resources Directory of opportunities, funded programmes, and skills development training are evolving, collaborative resources to be refreshed periodically with feedback from the freelance community.

The Freelancers’ Handbook and Resources Directory have been developed in response to findings from the 2024 Cultural Freelancers Study, Arts Council England’s first major study of its kind, which surveyed and consulted more than 5,000 cultural freelancers.

For cultural organisations working with freelancers, there is a checklist which draws on the insight, guidance and good practice in the Handbook to be used as a planning and self-evaluation tool. This includes a new Freelancer’s Fair Work Pledge which promotes fair pay, contracting, crediting work, and supporting inclusion and access.

These new tools form part of the Arts Council's ongoing commitment to supporting creative and cultural freelancers, including co-designing a new Service for Individuals with freelancers, which will have a national funding programme at its heart. User feedback for the Freelancers’ Handbook will further inform the development of the service, to begin rolling out in 2027/28.