Funding opportunities for museums in the area
CULTURAL venues including museums, galleries and public libraries are to benefit from up to £128m of funding to help improve accessibility to the arts and safeguard their futures.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are encouraging organisations to submit expressions of interest to receive support following the previous allocation of £48m worth of funding to 60 organisations earlier this year.
Hull and East Riding Museum has been named as one venue that would qualify for the funding.
Venues across the country have already benefited from the fund that has helped to safeguard museum buildings and carry out essential maintenance work.
The Hull and East Riding Museum would benefit from the Museum Estate and Development Fund, which is worth £63.3m.
Funding of infrastructure projects at museums, improvements in local library services and investment in community-focused cultural sites will protect the heritage of these sites and boost the local economy.
Support will be targeted to areas which have typically had lower levels of cultural investment.
Funding will be targeted on locally-led cultural projects, museums and libraries in England.
Arts Minister Lord Parkinson said: “Cultural institutions form the heart of communities across the country and it is important that we provide them with the support they need.
“This funding will help make culture more accessible to everyone, including people who may not have enjoyed its benefits before, as well as supporting vital maintenance work to secure the future of many venues.
“It is an important part of our plan to level up the country, for the benefit of everybody.”
Darren Henley chief executive of Arts Council England said: “Artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries have the power to animate and energise villages, towns and cities in amazing and innovative ways.
“This new investment in culture and creativity will help people across the country to enjoy happier lives.”
The Cultural Investment Fund covers the following three streams:
Cultural Development Fund
The £30.8m Cultural Development Fund aims to give people access to arts and culture in areas with historically lower levels of cultural engagement to help further support economic growth.
The fund helps transform cultural sites which are at the heart of communities such as Middlesbrough Council Cultural Services and Barnsley Museums.
Libraries Improvement Fund
The £20.5m Libraries Improvement Fund will transform library services in England by helping them upgrade their buildings and improve digital infrastructure.
Local authorities can bid for the money on behalf of their library services.
Museum Development Fund
The £63.3m Museum Estate and Development Fund helps fund maintenance and infrastructure works beyond their day-to-day budgets. Arts Council England accredited museums that are not directly funded by DCMS can apply. This could include organisations like the Hull and East Riding Museum.