Arts Council England Launch £160m Covid-19 Emergency Funding

Arts Council England are making £160 million of emergency funding available to support organisations and individuals during the coronavirus pandemic.

Arts Council England (ACE) has announced a £160 million funding package to help individuals and organisations working in the cultural sector during the Covid-19 crisis.

The funding has come available from reallocation of National Lottery Project Grants, Developing Your Creative Practice and their Development Funds for the 2020-21 period.

The following funding streams will be made available:

• Funding for National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) – £90 million will be made available to NPOs to help reboot their creative work and alleviate financial pressures.
• Funding for organisations outside of the National Portfolio – £50 million will be made available to organisations that are not in receipt of regular funding from the Arts Council. Organisations who have applied to National Lottery Project Grants are welcome to apply for this support.
• Funding for individuals – £20 million will be made available to individuals (including artists, creative practitioners and freelancers) so they can better sustain themselves, and their work, in the coming months.

Further guidance on the emergency funding streams will be published on 30 March.

Potential applicants will need to register on ACE’s application portal Grantium by Friday 3 April 2020.