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New report shows success of Culture Recovery Fund
21/04/2023 in Uncategorised
A new report from Ecorys shows the Government’s £1.57 billion package of emergency cultural funding during the pandemic – the Culture Recovery Fund – was delivered efficiently, helping support nearly 220,000 jobs and 5,000 organisations. It highlights that the Fund, delivered in partnership with Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Historic England. helped to increase the income of supported cultural organisations by 140% during the pandemic. That support in turn helped not only to ensure their survival, but enabled supported organisations to bring in audiences in new and innovative ways while closed or whilst social distancing restrictions were in place.
Responding to the report, AIM Chair Andrew Lovett OBE said
“CRF was a significant intervention, and a significant moment, in this country’s cultural history and this report rightly recognises and praises its impact and effectiveness. Following the cataclysmic financial shock caused by Covid, and despite the jeopardy we all faced, I was energised by the very positive joint working across the sector on its development. That added sense of purpose this created for us all.
Indeed, whilst museums that received the support still face challenges as they work hard to recover and ensure a good return on investment, we should celebrate this report as an example of what can be achieved when we work together.”
“This opportunity to reflect on and celebrate CRF is welcome. We already knew how much our sector and many of AIM’s members needed the crisis support, with independent museums who are so dependent on visitors for income affected the moment lockdowns were announced.
Having been heavily involved in designing and delivering CRF in my previous role as an official in DCMS I’m glad to see the evaluation has found it was well-implemented and effective.
As AIM’s Director, I’m proud of the impact our team, Board and members had on making the case then, and showing now, that the investment through CRF would repay the public many times over in the activity during and since the acute stage of the pandemic.”