AIM welcomes latest Culture Recovery Fund announcements 

AIM members were again amongst the beneficiaries in the latest Culture Recovery Fund announcements which saw over £75m distributed to theatres, museums, dance companies and music venues in England. 

This latest announcement of financial support, administered by Arts Council England (ACE), relates to venues and organisations that applied for over £1m of funding and follows £334m awarded earlier in the month to nearly 2,000 organisations. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.

Several AIM members were successful in their application to the fund, including the Design Museum, Black Country Living Museum, London Transport Museum, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Ironbridge Museums, and the Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Tim Cooke, Chief Executive of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust said: “This award is a great encouragement for the work of sharing Shakespeare, for the town of Stratford-upon-Avon and for the whole region. We are immensely grateful to DCMS and Arts Council England for their commitment and support. We have been so badly hit by the financial impact of the pandemic, so this investment is vital and enormously welcome at this critical time.”

Sam Mullins OBE, Director of London Transport Museum, said: “We are incredibly grateful and relieved to have received support from the Culture Recovery Fund. London Transport Museum has already lost £3 million and counting this year, but this new funding gives us hope. It is a huge shot in the arm for my trustees and colleagues and gives us confidence for the future. It will mean we can keep our doors open into the new year, continuing our programmes for families, children, young people, culture and transport fans. A huge thank you to Arts Council England, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and HM Treasury, and to the many supporters and visitors who have stood by the Museum during this difficult time.”

Andrew Lovett, Chief Executive of Black Country Living Museum and AIM Chair

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support given to the Museum, ultimately by the people of the UK, as a result of our successful application to the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.  Prior to the pandemic, BCLM was justly proud of its contribution as an independent heritage business to the region’s identity and economy.  These funds will help us to adapt to survive in the short term, so that we can thrive and grow with our community in the long term.  Prior to COVID-19 this Museum was enormously successful.  This critical funding provides the means to be successful once more.”

Lovett added, “As Chair of the Association of Independent Museums, I also recognise and welcome the positive impact of the Culture Recovery Fund for hundreds of museums across England and the value attached to them by millions of visitors.”

AIM Director Emma Chaplin

“It’s great to see a range of organisations receiving support from the Culture Recovery Fund in these recent announcements – it marks a real investment in our collective future. We know that considerable challenges remain, not just for independents but for all museums, but funds such as this act as a bedrock on which adaptability, creativity and optimism can build, so museums can thrive once more.”