About Us
Culture Commons is an independent social enterprise working to strengthen the UK’s creative, cultural and heritage sectors through research, policy development, advocacy and evaluation.
We believe that culture and creativity should be central to building thriving communities, reducing inequalities and shaping a more sustainable future. Our work helps cultural organisations, funders and policymakers develop the evidence, ideas and partnerships needed to achieve these ambitions.
Founded in 2022 by Trevor MacFarlane, a former creative industries practitioner turned policy specialist, Culture Commons combines deep sector knowledge with experience gained at the heart of local, regional, national and international policymaking.
Today, our team brings together experienced researchers, policy specialists and practitioners, supported by an extensive network of associates and technical experts. This flexible model allows us to assemble the right expertise for every project while remaining responsive to the needs of our clients and partners.
How We Work
As a social enterprise, we believe that better policy emerges when a wider range of people are involved in shaping it.
Our work is grounded in collaboration, transparency and a commitment to ensuring that voices too often excluded from policymaking are heard.
We bring together cultural organisations, practitioners, communities, researchers and decision-makers to develop ideas and solutions that reflect the full diversity of the UK’s creative, cultural and heritage sectors.
By taking an ecosystem approach, we look beyond the interests of powerful individual organisations to consider what will strengthen the sector as a whole.
We are committed to making knowledge as accessible as possible. Wherever we can, we publish our research, insights and policy recommendations openly so that others can learn from, build on and benefit from our work.
As a small, specialist organisation, we combine flexibility with deep expertise. This allows us to provide focused support to every client and partner while staying true to our mission of creating meaningful and lasting change.
“I love nothing more than combining my creative and political sensitivity to connect networks, influence decision makers and act strategically in the interests of our sectors.”
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Founding Director & CEO
Trevor sets the direction of the organisation, leads our national open policy development programmes and builds strategic relationships with key stakeholders across the creative, cultural and research ecosystem.
His published research, policy reports and book chapters span a range of policy areas. Some of his more high profile projects for Culture Commons include a four nations open policy development programme examining ‘cultural devolution’, the scoping of a new National Cultural Data Observatory and the supporting the sector through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before establishing Culture Commons, Trevor was a a political and policy advisor to several senior parliamentarians, including a former Deputy Prime Minister, a Shadow Minister for Small Business and a Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). He advised on several landmark Bills and legislation passing through the UK Parliament.
In 2019, Trevor was the senior researcher at Labour Together, working with Ed Miliband and other senior commissioners on the most comprehensive and data driven report on the general election result ever conducted by the Labour Party; this work is still influencing policy today.
Before the UK left the European Union, Trevor was also Chief of Staff to MEPs in the European Parliament, supporting the Vice President of the Culture and Education Committee (CULT) to harmonise creative and cultural policy across the then 28 Member States.
In 2023, the US Ambassador to the UK nominated Trevor to be an International Visiting Leader on the US Department of State’s premier professional development programme. He represented the UK's creative industries in Washington, New York and several other states and is now an active alumni.
Trevor has been a Fellow of The Royal Society of Art for well over a decade because of his previous work as an award-winning theatre director and creative practitioner. He has worked in some of the foremost cultural institutions in the UK, with a particular emphasis on new writing and supporting people from working class background (like his) into creative roles.
He has been a trustee of many arts and cultural organisations over the years, but is currently co-Chair of Stand and Be Counted - a theatre company supporting children, young people and adults seeking refuge, asylum and sanctuary through creative practices.
