How our Culture Recovery Fund is Supporting the Arts
The Culture Secretary has announced £257 million to help save theatres, arts venues, museums and cultural organisations across England, protecting both jobs and our proud cultural heritage.
Our world-renowned arts and cultural sectors form the soul of our nation, supporting jobs and, in normal years, attracting millions of visitors to places across the country.
That’s why, as part of our £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, we will provide £257 million to more than 1,300 arts organisations in England, helping performances to restart, allowing venues to plan for reopening and protecting jobs and opportunities for freelancers.
We are also saving 445 heritage organisations thanks to a £103 million investment from Government.
Those heritage organisations in England have been awarded cash from the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. That money will go to help restart vital repair and maintenance work on cherished heritage sites, to keep venues open and to save jobs and livelihoods.
This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this Government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.
Here for Culture: the Government’s support for the Arts
Organisations that applied for grants under £1 million in the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund were informed this morning of their awards by Arts Council England which is distributing funding on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The allocation is the biggest tranche of funding distributed to date from the Culture Recovery Fund. It will bring the total amount awarded so far to more than £360 million.
The funding will boost iconic organisations and venues known around the world, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Bristol Old Vic Theatre and Liverpool’s Cavern Club. It builds on our support in August for grassroot music venues to maintain our highly successful music and culture scene in England.
And it will also protect hundreds of local organisations that have launched many stars of the British cultural scene, from the Northcott Theatre in Exeter to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. And the extra support will help performances restart, venues reopen, protect jobs, and create more opportunities.
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England, said of the announcement:
Theatres, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages.
This is a difficult time for us all, but this first round of funding from the Culture Recovery Fund will help sustain hundreds of cultural spaces and organisations that are loved and admired by local communities and international audiences.
Our massive rescue package to protect our heritage
445 organisations will receive a share from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage to help with costs for operating, reopening and recovery. On top of our support for museums, galleries, theatres and other businesses, the Government is providing additional funding to support heritage organisations and heritage sites across England.
Twelve of those organisations, including English Heritage, Landmark Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and the Canal and River Trust, will receive £34 million from the Heritage Stimulus Fund. That money will go towards restarting construction and maintenance on cherished heritage sites. That way, we can preserve visitor attractions in England, as well as protect the livelihoods of heritage specialists and contractors in the sector.
Oliver Dowden, the Cultural Secretary, said of the announcement:
As a nation it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past. This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post-COVID.
And the Chief Executive of English Heritage Kate Mavor, said:
This support for our nation’s heritage is fantastic news. Over the last few months, our teams have been working hard to welcome visitors back safely to the great castles, stone circles, abbeys and historic houses in our care.
This funding will help us invest to safeguard the historic fabric of these much-loved places, which everyone can learn from and enjoy.
Why the Culture Recovery Fund is So Important
As a nation we should be proud of our heritage, and so it is vital that we keep our best-loved historical sites thriving. So they can be enjoyed by generations to come after coronavirus.
The Culture Recovery Fund is an important part of this Government’s work to protect places of such importance to so many people. This news will save jobs, protect special places, and create work across the culture sector.