Third round of Culture Recovery Fund announced

Further details of the third round of the Culture Recovery Fund were announced earlier today

The additional £300 million for the Culture Recovery Fund was originally announced by the Chancellor at the Spring Budget as part of a wider £408 million package for arts and culture. This takes the government’s investment in the arts and cultural sectors to almost £2 billion since the start of the pandemic and provides further support as the cultural, heritage and creative sectors move towards reopening at full capacity.

Almost £220 million will be available for both new organisations who are at imminent risk of failure and existing recipients of CRF grants. Funding will be available to boost those who have received support already whilst ensuring more culturally significant organisations do not fail as a result of the pandemic.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

“Today’s funding announcement also includes a number of other critical investments to help protect the culture and heritage sectors.

The Heritage Stimulus Fund will be boosted by £35 million, bringing the total fund to over £80 million. This funding has already enabled repair and maintenance works at more than 800 of the country’s treasured heritage assets and has protected the jobs of expert craftspeople working in the sector.

In the third round of funding it will support major programmes of work and repair grants for heritage at risk, keeping our nationally and internationally significant heritage assets in good condition and sustain the skilled workforce that looks after them.

The £20 million Cultural Asset Fund will support the National Heritage Memorial Fund’s (NHMF) COVID-19 Response Fund, creating a total of £40 million to save heritage assets at risk of loss, for the nation.“

AIM Director, Lisa Ollerhead

“We very much welcome this additional investment in the sector as our museums strive to reopen to full capacity. Further allocation to the Heritage Stimulus Fund is also very welcome to help protect heritage buildings in our communities and support the experienced and skilled craftspeople who keep them safe and whole.

CRF has been a lifeline to our members and the wider museum community, yet we are also aware that reopening – whilst critical – will not address the impact of the pandemic. Our members need time to rebuild, recover and deliver a return on the investment made by the taxpayer in our sector. That means additional, sustained support and we look forward to working with our partners across government on enabling that.”

Funding is broken down as follows:

• CRF3 Resource Grants (including Emergency Resource Support and Continuity Support) – £218.5 million
• Heritage Stimulus Fund – £35 million
• Cultural Asset Fund – £20 million
• Contingency – £35 million
• Admin costs – £7.5 million

Guidance for each funding stream will be published shortly.

UK Gov press release>>