Sunderland awarded £700,000 of Government's Recovery Fund - here's who's received what

The CRF totals £1.57 billion, with £257m awarded across the country today, with more announcements to be made in the future.

Sunderland will receive almost £700,000 from today’s announcement, with five major projects being awarded sums.

They are:

::Independent Sunderland: £91,646

::MBC Arts Wellbeing: £112,000

::Pop Recs Ltd: £60,000

::Sunderland Culture: £341,777

::Creative Seed: £72,000

Sunderland Culture, which operates the city’s major arts venues received the most funding. Founded through a partnership between University of Sunderland, Sunderland City Council and the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust, it delivers the cultural programme in Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Arts Centre Washington, National Glass Centre, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art and the Fire Station, as well supporting the development of creative industries in the city and delivering city-wide cultural events and projects with local communities.

Culture bosses say the grant will enable Sunderland Culture to continue its work to strengthen the city’s cultural economy, increase cultural participation and ensure culture plays a key role in the city’s recovery from the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Sunderland Culture Chief Executive Keith Merrin, said: “The grant will provide Sunderland Culture with support over the next six months, to mitigate some of the financial losses we have incurred due to the impact of Covid-19 and continue delivering a cultural programme at National Glass Centre, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Arts Centre Washington and with communities in Sunderland – in a socially distanced or digital format.

"The challenge faced by cultural organisations, artists and creative businesses in the wake of Covid-19 is unprecedented, and we are grateful to DCMS and Arts Council England for providing this vital support at a critical point.”

Today’s recipients are those that applied for grants of under £1 million in the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund. This funding will help organisations create work and performances, and plan for reopening. Although many were still active in lockdown, using creative ways to reach audiences.

It is the biggest tranche of funding distributed to date from the Culture Recovery Fund, and the first in a series of announcements on the funding programmes administered by Arts Council England. Applicants for grants of over £1 million, as well as those who applied to round two of the fund and the Repayable Finance programme, will be notified of their outcomes shortly.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This funding is a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.

“These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country - from the Beamish museum in County Durham to the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Bristol Old Vic. This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture.”

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.