UK Government announces Arts Everywhere Fund

The UK Government has announced the launch of a new fund investing in the growth of arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector. The Arts Everywhere Fund will offer organisations a share of more than £270 million.

The fund forms part of the Government’s Plan for Change and targets organisations in ‘urgent need of financial support’ to keep them in business and plan for the future. It has been formed with the intention of supporting jobs, helping young people develop creative skills and ‘boosting people’s sense of pride in where they live’.

Royal Ballet and Opera CEO Alex Beard said: ‘This one-year programme is a vital first step in ensuring that future generations of audience members can continue to enjoy our world leading performing arts sector, which plays such an important role in the Government’s growth and wellbeing agendas.’

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic chief executive Michael Eakin OBE added: ‘Many of this country’s great cultural buildings are urgently in need of capital works to ensure they can continue to function and meet the needs of performances and audiences, and this new funding will be very welcome and helpful in addressing some of those needs.’

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also announces the broader culture funding plan for the next financial year including a 5% increase to the budgets of all national museums and galleries, a new £85 million Creative Foundations Fund to support venues across the country, an additional £15 million for Heritage at Risk to support repairs and conservation to heritage buildings at risk, a new £4.85 million Heritage Revival Fund supporting community organisations to own neglected heritage buildings and bring them back into use.

The DCMS will also make an additional £120 million available to continue the Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund, ensuring national cultural public institutions are able to address essential works to their estate, as well as providing £3.2 million in funding for the Museums and Schools Programme, the Heritage Schools Programme, the Art & Design National Saturday Club and the BFI Film Academy.

The Culture Secretary has also confirmed that Baroness Margaret Hodge’s independent review of Arts Council England (ACE) will be supported by an advisory panel including: Arts fundraising consultant and vice chair of the Octagon Theatre, Bolton and Buxton Opera House Helen Bowdur; director of culture and creative industries at Manchester City Council, and chair of Theatres Trust Dave Moutrey OBE; Mayor of London’s representative to Arts Council England and CEO of Shakespeare’s Globe Stella Kanu; co-founder and chair of The Leighton Group and the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust Paul Callaghan CBE, DL, FRSA; chief executive of St George’s Bristol Samir Savant; director of National Museums Liverpool and incoming chair of the National Museum Directors Council Laura Pye and Pawlet Brookes MBE, founder, CEO and artistic director of the Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage in Leicester.

ACE chief executive Darren Henley said: ‘Baroness Hodge’s review gives all of us at the Arts Council the chance to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to serve audiences right across England - and that we’re nurturing an environment where artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries can create their best work for those audiences. We’re looking forward to working with Baroness Hodge and her advisory panel to make sure that happens for everyone everywhere every day.’