More than 100 cultural venues, museums, and libraries across England are set to share £130 million in additional funding, marking the largest cash injection into the arts in a decade. The investment is part of the Arts Everywhere Fund, a £1.5 billion package announced by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy earlier this year, aimed at supporting cultural infrastructure projects and saving over 1,000 arts venues, museums, libraries, and heritage buildings.
The funding will be administered by Arts Council England and includes three specific funds: the Creative Foundations Fund (£96 million for 74 arts and cultural venues), the Museum Estate and Development Fund (£25.5 million for 28 museums), and the Libraries Improvement Fund (£6.3 million for 28 library services). Beneficiaries range from the Lowry Centre in Salford, which receives £8.5 million for upgrades including new lifts and step-free access, to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Warwickshire and the Hexagon in Reading.
Other notable allocations include £1.75 million for Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, £468,701 for Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival, and £1.55 million for Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire, the former home of Lord Byron, for roof and drainage repairs. The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley receives £454,159 to safeguard historic buildings.
Among libraries, Derbyshire Libraries will use £440,000 to refurbish three sites, while Henleaze Library in Bristol gets £279,147 for a new front extension and digital upgrades. Nandy stated that arts and culture are for everyone, emphasising their role in bringing communities together and building a stronger future.
Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England, described arts organisations, museums, and libraries as the beating heart of communities, noting that this investment will help them thrive after significant financial pressures. The funding follows a previously announced £270 million and aims to repair the UK's cultural infrastructure, which has faced cuts since 2010.
