The UK Government has announced more than 1000 arts and culture organisations are set to benefit from a share of the £257 million Culture Recovery Fund, as visitor experiences across the country tackle the devastations and challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Up to now (October 19) 1385 theatres, galleries, art centres and museums have been awarded funding, in which they can apply for grants of up to £1 million.
The figures were unveiled by UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, who stated that once awarded with a grant, the money will then be distributed by Arts Council England who are working on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
British museums were forced to close in March 2020, before given the green light to reopen with social distancing measures in place in July. Not only will the grants help to revive attractions finances following the mandatory four month closure but will help make the experiences COVID safe, including buying the materials for staff PPE, one way systems and hand sanitising stations.
The funds are also expected to go towards new promotional campaigns which will appeal to regional visitors, instead of global tourists – as world travel has temporarily comes to a halt.
Smaller and more nationally recognised experiences are set to benefit from the Culture Recovery Fund. Some reputable ones include:
Speaking of the fund, Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary of the British government said: “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.”
Applications for the Culture Recovery Fund have now closed, with all awarded museums being notified by the end of October 2020.
Elsewhere, Art Fund has unveiled five winners for the prestigious Museum of the Year award.
