CRAFT’s FIve Pillars

CRAFT’s Five Pillars outline our main focus areas of support.

CRAFT’s Five Pillars supports comedy where it is the primary artform, spanning the entire ecosystem—live, broadcast, recorded, digital and beyond.

01

01 — RIGHTS & ADVOCACY

Artform, Access & Grassroots Development

Make comedy easier to access, champion creativity, and strengthen grassroots pathways across the entire ecosystem.

02

02 — LAUGHTER AS MEDICINE

Community Health & Wellbeing Delivery

Support and fund practitioners to use comedy and laughter-led experiences to strengthen wellbeing and social connection.

03

03 — CERTIFIED PUBLIC REGISTRY DIRECTORY

Standards, Safeguarding, & Accountability

Create shared expectations for safe, fair and professional comedy activity—so people can work, book, and participate with confidence.

04

04 — RIGHTS & ADVOCACY

Public Affairs, Policy, & Representation

Ensure comedy is recognised as a standalone artform across all formats so policy decisions and funding reflect its true role and value.

05

05 — EVIDENCE TO INNOVATION

Research, Education, & InnovatioN

Grow evidence for cultural, social and economic value; create guidance, training and investment; champion innovation.

★

☆ — SUPPORT COMEDY

THE COMEDY LEVY FUNDS THE 5 PILLARS

CRAFT is building infrastructure through The Comedy Levy, to fund and support the entire ecosystem of the sector.

01

01 — RIGHTS & ADVOCACY

Artform, Access & Grassroots Development

WHAT IT MEANS

Make comedy easier to access, champion creativity, and strengthen grassroots pathways across the entire ecosystem.

WHAT WE DO

We support and fund activity that grows participation in comedy as a standalone artform—especially where comedy is currently forced to “fit” other categories—by widening access, including for disabled and diverse professionals, strengthening grassroots routes into work, championing creativity, innovation and growth, and improving the quality and safety of comedy activity delivered to the public across formats.

Who Benefits

Comedy professionals: Stronger pipelines, audiences, paid opportunities and clearer progression routes.

Businesses: Sustainable programming, development and delivery.

Audiences and communities: Improved access and diversity, including beyond major cities, talents, and brands.

strategy

  • Agree priorities (who is excluded, where the gaps are) + publish an access and participation plan that treats comedy as a standalone artform. Commence receiving and distributing some basic grants.

  • Fund/partner on targeted grassroots initiatives and pathways across formats (including development support where it is currently missing).

  • Scale what works nationally and publish outcomes transparently as open-access research.

02

02 — LAUGHTER AS MEDICINE

Community Health & Wellbeing Delivery

WHAT IT MEANS

Use comedy and laughter-led experiences to strengthen wellbeing and social connection in UK communities.

WHAT WE DO

We support and fund comedy/laughter-based practitioners to deliver free or discounted experiences to UK-based communities, to improve wellbeing and social connection.

Who Benefits

Comedy practitioners (professionals and businesses): New paid pathways and commissioning demand. This includes, but is not limited to, laughter and comedy therapists; and facilitators and providers across Comedy-on-Prescription, improv, clowning, education and research.

Communities and participants: Connection, confidence, improved wellbeing and shared experiences

Local authorities and health/community partners: Prevention-first, community-led delivery.

strategy

  • Provide funding information and education for industry practitioners to help them find and apply for existing and future grants, investment and other funding opportunities.

  • Scale models with partners to include funding industry practitioners directly through CRAFT via the Comedy Levy, grants, and publish results. Potential CRAFT partners include government, key institutions (for example, ACE and The National Lottery), and other charities and organisations.

03

03 — CERTIFIED PUBLIC REGISTRY DIRECTORY

Standards, Safeguarding, & Accountability

WHAT IT MEANS

Create shared expectations for safe, fair and professional comedy activity—so people can work, book and participate with confidence—across comedy formats (live, broadcast, recorded, digital/hybrid, writing and visual/illustrative formats) where comedy is the primary artform.

WHAT WE DO

We develop and uphold professional standards, safeguarding standards and ethical codes for comedy, supported by the CRAFT Certified Public Register Directory and a proportionate assessment/certification scheme, with published rules/criteria, useful documentation, and clear processes for complaints, appeals and enforcement.

Who Benefits

Comedy professionals: Safer working environments and clearer industry norms, aligned to wider industry standards and best practise, taking guidance from existing structures (for example CIISA).

Businesses, commissioners, and funders: Trusted due diligence and clearer employment, and booking/procurement standards.

Audiences and participants: Safer delivery and higher quality experiences.

strategy

  • Convene an industry summit/consultation and publish Standards Framework v1 + criteria for the Directory and a CRAFT standards mark/logo.

  • Launch the Directory with proportionate verification, renewals, and published complaints/appeals/enforcement procedures. Provide ongoing consultations with the industry.

  • Introduce risk-based monitoring/assurance and update standards annually based on evidence, learning and sector feedback.

04

04 — RIGHTS & ADVOCACY

Public Affairs, Policy, & Representation

WHAT IT MEANS

Ensure comedy is recognised as a standalone artform across all formats (live, broadcast, recorded, digital/hybrid, writing and visual/illustrative formats), so policy decisions and funding reflect its true role and value; widen who gets to participate and progress; and protect lawful satire and social commentary.

WHAT WE DO

We secure comedy’s formal recognition as a standalone artform, embedding it in the strategies, reports, consultations and funding frameworks that shape culture, skills, technology/AI, health and exports. We champion inclusion and access, and defend lawful satire and social commentary—positioning the UK as the global leader in freedom of artistic expression in the comedic arts.

Who Benefits

Comedy professionals and businesses: Eligibility for the programmes, funding and support that currently exclude or misclassify comedy—plus stronger protection for lawful expression.

Underrepresented groups: Inclusion becomes structural (embedded in policy and criteria), improving access, safety and progression.

The public: Better policy and funding delivers more and better comedy—more shows and content, stronger venues, higher-quality experiences, greater diversity across the sector, and wider access and choice—while protecting satire and strengthening social connection.

Decision-makers and funders: A clear, sector-led interface (CRAFT) to consult, measure, and fund comedy accurately.

strategy

  • Identify where comedy is missing/misclassified in current strategies and funding frameworks; set priority changes; secure ongoing representation in consultations and report cycles.

  • Convene an industry summit and publish principles on freedom of artistic expression + inclusion (linked to CRAFT standards).

  • Maintain an always-on policy function: track consultations, submit evidence, and publish a transparent progress tracker of where comedy has been included and what remains outstanding.

05

05 — EVIDENCE TO INNOVATION

Research, Education, & InnovatioN

WHAT IT MEANS

Build the evidence base for comedy’s cultural, social and economic value—and turn it into practical guidance, training and smarter investment—while actively championing innovation across the ecosystem (live, broadcast, recorded, digital/hybrid, writing and visual/illustrative formats). This includes emerging technology (AI, XR/VR/AR, gaming, interactive and immersive media), new distribution models, and creator-first IP and rights infrastructure.

WHAT WE DO

We commission and support research, education and innovation that strengthens comedy’s infrastructure—including clearer classification and sub-vertical mapping (live, scripted, unscripted, digital) so comedy is measured and funded properly. We also identify, test and scale new models for comedy in emerging tech, and publish practical guidance so professionals, businesses and funders can adopt what works safely and ethically.

Who Benefits

Comedy professionals and businesses: Evidence, tools and R&D pathways that unlock funding and partnerships; practical guidance to adopt emerging tech and new formats (AI, immersive, interactive, gaming) while protecting quality, rights and safety.

Policymakers, funders and commissioners: Clear data and tested models to invest with confidence.

Educators, researchers and industry partners: Shared agendas, publishable outcomes, and open resources that grow comedy opportunities, skills, and infrastructure.

Audiences and communities: Higher-quality experiences and greater access—new formats and distribution that expand choice, participation and reach.

strategy

  • Publish definitions/classifications and minimum reporting standards so comedy is measured and funded properly. Set innovation and ethics baselines.

  • Commission and support evaluations. Publish open-access findings and turn them into practical toolkits, templates, and training/CPD for industry, funders and educators.

  • Run an annual cycle: State of the UK Comedy Industry + Innovation/Impact reporting. Update standards, refresh training, and feed results into funding priorities and policy—so good models scale.