Arts venues to receive £257m from Culture Recovery Fund

More than 1,300 museums, theatres and other venues are to receive a share of £257m from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said a total of help 1,385 theatres, galleries, performance groups, arts organisations, museums and local venues will get the funding to help them survive the challenges of the pandemic.

The allocation is the biggest tranche of funding distributed to date from the Culture Recovery Fund, bringing the total amount of grant funding awarded so far to more than £360m.

It will also protect local organisations that have launched many stars of the British cultural scene and sit at the heart of their communities.

This includes the Finborough Theatre in Earl’s Court, London, Beamish Living Museum in County Durham, the Northcott Theatre in Exeter, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield, and The Young Vic in London.

‘The government is here for culture and we have worked around the clock to get this record investment out to the frontline,’ said culture secretary, Oliver Dowden.

‘It will allow our wonderful theatres, museums, music venues and cultural organisations to survive this crisis and start putting on performances again – protecting jobs and creating new work for freelancers.’

The chair of the Arts Council England, Sir Nicholas Serota, added: ‘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. Further funding will be announced later in the month and we are working hard to support creative organisations and individuals during these challenging times.’

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