Wolverhampton Grand Secures Lifeline Funding Bid

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre has today received the news that they have been successful in securing £1,187,530 from the Government's Cultural Recovery Fund.

In July 2020, the DCMS announced there was a £1.57 billion fund available for Culture and Heritage venues up and down the country in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic which would be administered by the Arts Council. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre submitted its application at the end of August and has been awaiting the outcome with anticipation.

CEO and Artistic Director Adrian Jackson said,

"It is with huge delight but also relief to share this outcome with you today. The Grand is the only large-scale theatre in Wolverhampton and The Black Country and is a vital lifeline to those communities.

We will now carefully execute the business and creative plans proposed to ensure we are able to re-open at full capacity, next year. We are still unclear when this will be, however we are looking at other opportunities to open in the short term with social distancing in place.

The Grand's Outreach work will continue to be a high priority, along with making the venue Covid safe for audiences to return.

I would like to thank the DCMS and Arts Council England for recognising the fantastic work we do at the Grand Theatre which with this support can now continue."

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

"As part of our unprecedented £1.57 billion rescue fund, today we're saving British cultural icons with large grants of up to £3 million - from Shakespeare's Globe to the Sheffield Crucible. These places and organisations are irreplaceable parts of our heritage and what make us the cultural superpower we are. This vital funding will secure their future and protect jobs right away."

Chair, Arts Council England, Sir Nicholas Serota, said:

"The Culture Recovery Fund has already helped hundreds of organisations, of all types and sizes, in villages, towns and cities across the country. It has provided a lifeline that will allow these organisations to continue to play an integral role in their communities and produce new artistic work that will entertain and inspire us all.

"This latest funding, which are the largest grants to date, will support some of the country's most loved and admired cultural spaces - from great regional theatres and museums to historic venues in the capital - which are critical to the development of a new generation of talent and in providing work for freelance creatives."

This year The Grand received £30,000 from The Arts Council for community and education work and £25,000 from the Local Authority to assist with overhead costs. Prior to this, the theatre had become self-sufficient and had not received any public money since 2016. The charity had been making a surplus year on year and this was re-invested back into the charitable work of the organisation.

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