Cultural organisations receive share of final round of funding worth £35m
More cultural organisations have received funding from the Culture Recovery Fund, gaining a share of a final round of £35m.
Over £4m has been awarded to organisations in the West Midlands, building on almost £120m already awarded from the Culture Recovery Fund to organisations in the region.
In the West Midlands, over £95,000 has gone to Deaf Explorer, based in Birmingham, to help continue their vital work with Deaf artists to remove barriers so they can achieve their ambitions in the arts.
Billy Read the Chair of Deaf Explorer CIC said: “Before Covid-19 we massively changed the lives of deaf artists. During Covid-19 our pipeline of artists collapsed.
“This grant will celebrate and raise our profile with a two-day festival that will bring Deaf artists together, commission new work and reach our deaf audiences.
“We will also fundraise to delivery outstanding community participation projects that will involve a new generation of deaf artists.”
From the previous round of this funding, an £80,000 grant went to Corey Baker Dance in Birmingham, one of the leading creators of digital dance work, to continue producing live experiences and digital dance alongside their outreach and accessibility work.
Corey Baker the choreographer at Corey Baker Dance, Birmingham said: “By the second half of last year, Swan Lake Bath Ballet had been a huge international hit and we had loads of opportunities for new projects.
“But for over a year our regular income sources had been completely cut off, and we had a serious cashflow crisis. Emergency Resource Support gave us the working capital we needed to get back to making work.
“With this support, we danced on top of wind turbines to celebrate renewable energy; we choreographed cars, bikes and skydivers for the BBC and One Dance UK’s Dance Passion; and we even got to dance at No 10 Downing Street. We made three new dance films that have been seen by millions. ERS got our company moving again.”
Since August 2020, the Culture Recovery Fund has distributed £1.57bn to around 5,000 organisations across the UK such as theatres, museums, independent cinemas.
The Arts Minister, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “Being cut off from them during lockdown has underlined what a vital role cultural organisations play in their community up and down the country. The Government stood by them in the pandemic, and is determined that they should remain open and accessible to everyone – now and for generations to come.”
“I am very proud of the Culture Recovery Fund and the lifeline it has provided for cherished organisations in every part of the country.”
