One of the first tasks: to secure donations to fund 100 projects

A new trust has been set up seeking donations to fund the comedy industry.

Newly formed industry body Craft – which stands for Comedy Representation & Artform Trust – hopes to help finance 50 comedians to play the Edinburgh Fringe, develop 20 scripted and screen-based projects and fund 30 community wellbeing projects using comedy.

Under a scheme dubbed Comedy Top 100, Craft hopes to raise money from donations, sponsorship, ticket levies and successful comedians pledging a share of their profits.

Craft has been set up by Lu Jackson (pictured), of Craic Comedy, which offers comedy-on-prescription schemes to help raise wellbeing  She has also been active in lobbying Parliament to do more to support live comedy, and many of her political contacts including Labour MP Simon Opher and Dame Caroline Dinenage,  chair of Culture, Media & Sport Committee, are patrons.

The group’s work has a lot of overlap with what the separate Live Comedy Association is also doing. The LCA also has a drive to raise donations to support the wider industry called Stand Up And Give and has been lobbying politicians to recognise comedy given its financial, social and wellbeing benefits to society. It has also suggested a voluntary levy on arena shows to help fund grassroots venues.

However Craft is claiming to be ‘UK comedy’s first national body’ as it also hopes to span broadcast, digital and visual comedy, not just stand-up.

Craft is building its work on five pillars: grassroots development, community health initiatives, safeguarding within the industry, influencing public policy and research.

Its  strategy – leaning on public sector jargon – is to ‘publish an access and participation plan’, find ’targeted grassroots initiatives and pathways across formats’ and ‘scale what works nationally and publish outcomes transparently as open-access research’.

A spokesperson said: ‘The Craft team looks forward to serving the industry and is passionate to ensure comedy thrives as a vital force in Britain’s cultural, social, and economic life. This includes strengthening access for audiences and communities, to entertain and help us be happier—British laughter is the best medicine the world needs more of.’

Other patrons include Samantha Niblett MP and Tom Walker, the comedy and actor best known for his Jonathan Pie alter-ego, while an advisory panel includes Rupert Majendie from Baby Cow, Funny Women’s Lynne Parker and comedian Ro Dodgson.

Walker said: ‘ Comedy, especially stand-up comedy can be a lonely existence. There is very little support, mentorship and almost zero funding. There are also a few sharks out there making money whilst asking comedians to do gigs for next to no money at all. 

‘Comedy is an important, vital part of our culture and arts scene. I am amazed that comedy has no formal recognition and is not considered an artform. This means there is little help for individual artists but more importantly comedy venues… so many are under threat as they are not considered arts venues. This is something that needs to change. 

‘To have Craft specifically address these and other issues facing the industry will be a boon to many in comedy.'

Jackson added: ‘When I describe the problems facing comedy—from small grassroots realities to large systemic failures—people in and out of the sector are genuinely surprised. 

‘The biggest names and brands create the illusion that the whole sector is fine. It isn’t. The GOATs are visible; the underlying ecosystem is not. The Craft team looks forward to supporting the sector and working with government and institutions at every level.’

Craft also hopes to set up a national registry of comedy professionals and businesses who would stick to  ‘shared standards of fair pay, accountability and fair practice.’

News of Craft’s foundation comes ahead of the first Ministerial round table on comedy in Parliament on Monday featuring representatives from both Craic and the LCA among others.

For more information on Craft, visit its website.

Published: 6 Mar 2026