Arts Council England has announced awards totalling over £22.7 million to help 66 cultural organisations across the country transform their buildings and equipment so they can operate safely post-pandemic, improve access, seize technological opportunities and reduce environmental impact. From Barrow-in-Furness to the Isles of Scilly, the organisations receiving funding share a vision to build a fit for the future cultural sector, that will benefit communities for years to come. This place-based approach demonstrates the Arts Council’s commitment to helping level up the country through investment in culture and creativity.
An investment of £5,001,282 has been awarded to 17 organisations in London. These organisations are:
£200,252 for East End Women’s Museum
East End Women’s Museum is a project aiming to record, share and celebrate women’s stories and voices from east London’s history. East End Women’s Museum currently operates through pop-up events and resources, but funding will support the opening of a physical museum space in Barking. The space will enable East End Women’s Museum to host exhibitions, workshops, social events, and learning opportunities – all centred around the local community.
£200,000 for Stanley Halls
Stanley Halls is an arts venue and community asset based in South Norwood. It’s a space for cultural expression and discovery, with a programme encompassing art, music, dance, comedy and more. Funding will enable Stanley Halls to transform their physical and digital infrastructure ahead of Croydon’s year as London Borough of Culture in 2023. This will include the installation of up-to-date creative technical stage facilities, enhanced live-streaming capacity, and other building modifications to ensure their spaces are accessible.
£380,000 for Peckham Platform Ltd
Peckham Platform is a creative and educational charity based in South London. It brings local communities together with leading artists to co-produce art that responds directly to the needs and concerns of local people. Funding will support the organisation to create a new, permanent home on Peckham Square that will help establish a vital connection point for communities, culture and creativity.
£750,000 for The Yard Theatre Ltd
The Yard is a theatre and music venue in a converted warehouse in Hackney Wick, committed to telling contemporary stories in contemporary ways. As a grassroots community organisation, it is an essential home for early and mid-career artists and an entry route into theatre making for disadvantaged young people ages 4-19. Funding will support The Yard to continue its work through upgrading its facilities, increasing access and opportunity, and refocusing the organisation around sustainability.
£135,674 for The Brunel Museum
The Brunel Museum is an independent museum on the site of the Thames Tunnel, the first successful underwater tunnel in the world. The tunnel was designed by Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel – a father and son duo who changed the world. Welcoming new audiences and being environmentally responsible is at the heart of the building project. Funding will enable the Museum to make vital building updates to ensure it is fully accessible, as well as create improved gallery spaces for the display of the Thames Tunnel watercolours.
£650,000 for Rich Mix Cultural Foundation
Rich Mix Cultural Foundation is a charity and arts hub that connects some of the city’s most adventurous and diverse audiences to a vital, exciting and ambitious programme of contemporary culture. The charity develops the creative potential of young people, families, children and wide-ranging communities from across East London. Funding will support Rich Mix to reimagine its Bethnal Green building into a welcoming and accessible space with community at its heart. It will enable Rich Mix to offer more inspiring opportunities for curated arts, learning, collaboration and conversation.
£498,242 for Raw Material Music and Media Education
Raw Material Music and Media Education is a Brixton-based creative arts and music centre for young people and adults, serving the communities of Lambeth, South London and beyond. Funding will enable vital and exciting changes to Raw’s three-storey building to increase access, improve functionality, and environmental and financial efficiencies, developing existing spaces to become multi-function with flexible tech facilities and co-working space. This will allow Raw to reach and support more emerging creatives and young entrepreneurs in the borough and increase capacity for its in-demand community programmes.
£365,000 for World Heart Beat Academy
World Heart Beat Academy offers a broad programme of music lessons, workshops and events – providing an inclusive and exciting space for young musical talent to flourish. Funding will support the creation of an exciting new digital music education centre and concert venue in Nine Elms, complete with state-of-the-art teaching spaces, auditorium and recording studio. Situated in a major regeneration area, the new spaces will provide vital opportunities for communities underserved with music venues and youth services.
£307,000 for Rosetta Arts Centre CIO
Through access to art and creative experiences, Rosetta Arts enriches the lives of people in Newham and the wider communities of East London – reaching those who otherwise have little access to the transformative benefits of the arts and education. Funding will support the creation of a new Creative Wellbeing Space in Green St, Newham– a multi-functional community space that will celebrate creativity and diversity.
£277,610 for The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Culture Service
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham will use funding to transform Woodward Library, which closed in 2006, into a vibrant community arts and digital hub. The new venue will provide vital digital access and unique arts activities for the local community in an area of limited arts infrastructure.
£270,000 for The Alternative Theatre Company Ltd
The Alternative Theatre Company, also known as the Bush Theatre, is a world-famous home for new plays and champions new voices from the widest range of backgrounds. Funding will enable the theatre to install a new roof, addressing long-term issues it has experienced with leaks, as well as implementing sustainability measures to provide renewable energy and reduce water wastage.
£245,000 for Carnival Village Trust
Carnival Village Trust is London’s development agency for carnival arts. As well as facilitating arts workshops and small projects, they have been behind major events such as Notting Hill Carnival. Funding will support replacement of the two lifts at one of their venues, The Tabernacle, ensuring it is a fully accessible venue for artists, audiences, the local community and hires. The Tabernacle is a Grade II listed building, an historic community hub and one of London’s iconic performance spaces, with theatre, dance studio, gallery and bar and kitchen.
£220,500 for Clean Break Theatre Company Ltd
Clean Break Theatre Company uses theatre to transform lives in prison, on stage and in communities across the country. Their vision is of a society where women can achieve their full potential, free from unjust criminalisation and they pursue this through theatre: building women’s skills, creativity and wellbeing; producing ground-breaking productions; and advocating for wider engagement with women’s experiences critical for positive change. Funding will support vital refurbishment and development of its premises in Kentish Town, upgrading tech and physical infrastructure, as well as their environmental sustainability.
£150,000 for B3 Media Limited
B3 Media is an award-winning creative incubator that connects bold stories from Britain’s diverse talent and storytellers with the relevant industry outlets through our digital-focused mentoring schemes and development programmes. Funding will enable B3 Media to purchase technical equipment (motion capture gear, PCs, animation software) for their micro-studio at Carlton Mansion creative hub, Brixton House. This is a space for creatives to build, test, and get feedback on their projects.
£150,000 for Bernie Grant Centre Partnership
Bernie Grant Arts Centre (BGAC) is a multi-arts centre which includes an auditorium, cinema, studio spaces and more. Its iconic building on Tottenham High Street is a home for local diverse artists, audiences and creative businesses. Funding will enable BGAC to update three of their spaces – the gallery, hub and Paul’s Square – to meet the needs of contemporary artists and audiences and launch a permanent strand of Black vision arts programming.
£101,954 for Mahogany Community Ventures Ltd
Mahogany Community Ventures is a group of multi-disciplinary artists who design and create carnival costumes and large-scale sculptures in the art form of “Mas Making”, Masquerade or Street Theatre. Funding will enable Mahogany to create a mobile studio, so they can widen their reach and connect with new communities across London. Funding will also support the creation of a digital gallery in Mahogany’s Harlesden store front, and window and heating modifications to improve their environmental performance.
£100,000 for Young Urban Arts Foundation
Young Urban Arts Foundation (YUAF) is a charity who use creativity and culture to support young people’s wellbeing and create opportunities for them to be seen, heard and celebrated. They specialise in working with young people aged 8-19 who are at high-risk of child exploitation, being a victim of crime, and those who do not have access to opportunities. Funding will allow YUAF to purchase and convert a new environmentally sustainable Outreach Media Bus – so they can continue to work across London and provide an exciting space to inspire young people through music production, lyric writing and performance techniques.
These grants, which range from £100,000 to £750,000, are for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 investment period. For the first time, applicants had to demonstrate how their project would address all four of the Investment Principles set out in Arts Council England’s 10-year strategy, Let’s Create. The aim of these Investment Principles – Ambition & Quality, Inclusivity & Relevance, Dynamism, and Environmental Responsibility – is to steer change so organisations are of greater benefit to the public, helping to build a creative and cultural country filled with creative people and cultural communities.
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said: “World class creativity and culture needs a resilient and sustainable infrastructure to allow it to flourish. With these investments in the buildings, equipment and digital systems of cultural organisations across England, we are helping to secure the future of that infrastructure, and making sure that people from every part of the country can continue enjoying all the benefits it delivers for years to come.”
Tonya Nelson, Area Director, London, Arts Council England said: “People and communities are at the heart of London’s theatres, libraries, museums and other cultural venues – but it’s their buildings and equipment that are vital in bringing creative ideas, activities and projects to life.
“By investing in these organisations to improve building access, seize technological opportunities, and reduce their environmental impact, we’re strengthening our capital city’s rich cultural offering and helping to bring creativity to even more Londoners.”
