Culture Recovery Fund: More support for arts and culture
Today, £58.8 million of capital investment has been announced, supporting arts and heritage organisations across the country. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has also announced £165 million in repayable finance offers.
With these awards, the Culture Recovery Fund marks its £1 billion milestone, with £654 million being invested in arts and cultural organisations. There’s also a further round of support on the way, as DCMS announces new funding rounds with a further £400 million available in grants and loans.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, said: “This government promised it would be here for culture and today’s announcement is proof we’ve kept our word. The £1 billion invested so far through the Culture Recovery Fund has protected tens of thousands of jobs at cultural organisations across the UK, with more support still to come through a second round of applications. Today we’re extending a huge helping hand to the crown jewels of UK culture - so that they can continue to inspire future generations all around the world.”
Capital funding to venues across England
As part of the Culture Recovery Fund, £58.8 million in grants is being delivered through the Capital Kickstart Fund. This investment will support 74 arts organisations of all sizes whose capital projects were impacted by the pandemic, continuing the government’s investment in cultural infrastructure across the country.
Recipients include Nottingham’s Broadway, which will receive £144,000 to refurbish vital visitor spaces whilst reducing the centre’s energy usage to create a more environmentally sustainable future to the regional film hub, and the Turner Contemporary in Margate, which has been awarded £264,000 to complete a long-term transformation of its visitor facilities and digital infrastructure as well as improving the environmental sustainability of the site.
To date, more than £107 million in capital grant funding has been awarded to 260 projects across arts and heritage sectors, with more than three quarters based outside of London, stimulating the wider supply chain across the country and providing opportunities for skilled construction workers and conservation experts to work on specialist heritage renovations and cutting-edge cultural projects.
Repayable finance supporting major institutions
Today, DCMS have also offered £165 million to 11 nationally and internationally significant organisations through the Culture Recovery Fund: Repayable Finance programme.
This support will help world-renowned organisations like the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the Southbank Centre, the Royal Albert Hall and many more.
£400 million available through next Culture Recovery Fund round
Plans for allocating the remainder of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund have been announced today by DCMS. The funding will help organisations look to the future. £300 million in grants and £100 million in repayable finance will be made available to support organisations’ transition back to usual operating mode from April 2021. Further details will be released in due course.
