Academy Music Group (AMG), Ben Lovett's Venue Group, Ronnie Scott's and Sheffield City Trust have each received seven-figure grants in the latest round of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.
AMG has been awarded £2,981,431 to help meet the core operating costs of its 20 music venues across the UK, including the legendary O2 Academy Brixton.
London Venue Group, which operates Omeara and Lafayette in the capital, will receive £2,358,902 to maintain the buildings during their Covid-imposed closure and enable them to explore streaming options in the future, while Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club will receive £1,272,631 to potentially stage livestream events.
Sheffield City Trust, whose venue portfolio includes the city's FlyDSA Arena and City Hall, will get £2,243,000.
We're protecting heritage and culture in every corner of the country to save jobs and ensure it can bounce back strongly
Oliver Dowden, culture secretary
Culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, said: “These grants will help the places that have shaped our skylines for hundreds of years and that continue to define culture in our towns and cities.
"From St Paul’s and Ronnie Scott’s to The Lowry and Durham Cathedral, we’re protecting heritage and culture in every corner of the country to save jobs and ensure it can bounce back strongly.”
The organisations are among eight arts and cultural groups across the country to share more than £18 million in funding in the second round of grants between £1m and £3m awarded by Arts Council England on behalf of DCMS. The other recipients include The Lowry in Salford (£3m), Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre (£2,999,999) Opera North (£2m) and the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust (£1,904,902).
In addition, Blenheim Palace, the Oxfordshire birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, which hosts the annual Nocturne Live music event, will receive £1,896,000 for extensive repairs and updates to exhibition areas for visitors when it is safe to reopen.
Sir Nicholas Serota, chair, Arts Council England, said: “Culture makes a huge and increasing contribution to our national life, bringing communities together, fuelling our creative industries, and representing our country on the world stage.
"These grants add to those announced last month, and will put these organisations in a better position to bounce back and help their communities recover from this crisis. The Arts Council is grateful to the government for the special support being made available to the arts and culture through the Culture Recovery Fund and we’re proud to support all the organisations receiving awards today.”
A handful of music venues including London clubbing institution Fabric, Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena and Bournemouth International Centre also each received seven-figure grants in the previous round of funding. The Music Venue Trust previously confirmed an 89% success rate for grassroots music venues that applied for funding in the first two rounds.
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