A £15.4m support fund is being made available to the arts and cultural sectors impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Welsh Government announced today.
The additional support, part of the third round of the Welsh Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund (CRF), will be made available for the cultural sectors in Wales.
The fund will specifically support organisations impacted by the recent alert level two restrictions brought in over the Christmas and New Year period in a bid to control the spread of the new omicron variant.
To be eligible, businesses will have to self-declare that they have experienced a material impact through reduced turnover between December 2021 and February 2022.
The Arts Council of Wales will be launching its application process for organisations within the arts sector today.
The £15.4m support fund includes the previously announced Winter Stability Fund of £5.25m which has now been merged into the third round of the Cultural Recovery Fund.
Other impacted sectors including music venues, heritage sites, event venues and organisers, independent local museums, community and independent libraries, galleries and independent cinemas who were previously supported via the Welsh Government’s CRF will be contacted by letter during the week commencing January 17. The letter will set out how businesses can access funding support.
There will also be support for those eligible businesses and organisations that have not yet received support via the Government’s CRF to date and meet the criteria. More information on that support can be found on the
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Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden said: “We are fully aware that these impacted sectors continue to face new pressures, which is why we’ve been working with the Arts Council to make this additional funding available as soon as possible.
“The innovation and resilience which has been demonstrated by the people and organisations which make these sectors so vibrant has been remarkable – we want to ensure that the sector continues to play a part in our recovery from the pandemic and in bringing people together once more.”
She added: “The culture sector also plays an important part in our economy and this is yet another step in the support that we are offering to businesses. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve provided over £2.6bn of support to businesses throughout Wales to help them manage their way through difficult circumstances.”
The chairman of the Arts Council of Wales, Phil George said that the fund will help the Arts Council continue to provide essential support to ensure the viability and survival of cultural organisations across Wales who are facing a period of serious financial challenge.
He said: “We are determined to ensure that arts and cultural organisations who play a key role in the wellbeing of communities across Wales will be able to bring solace, delight and vision as we struggle with the pandemic and as we recover and rebuild. The need for this support has obviously become even more urgent as a result of the impact of the Omicron variant.”
The government said it is also aware of the impact that the current alert level two measures are having on the creative freelance community in the performing arts sector and is looking to increase support available to them with more details due from January 17.