The Liverpool Biennial is set to receive an almost ten-fold increase in funding as part of a three-year spending plan announced by Arts Council England (ACE) yesterday.
The biennial, the only international visual arts festival in the UK, will have its ACE grant increased from £35,000 to almost £400,000 by 2006.
The three-year budget announced by the ACE on Tuesday is the first major spending plan since the organisation officially relaunched in February, merging the Arts Council of England and ten Regional Arts Boards into one organisation.
The budget, which provides fixed-term revenue funding, has included a number of ground-breaking organisations supporting the individual artist, as well as prioritising cultural diversity, young people and growth in the cultural sector.
Overall, the ACE’s grant-in-aid will increase from £335 million in 2003/2004 to £410 million in 2005/2006.
Support for individual artists has doubled to £25 million, while £123 million will become available for new and innovative organisations which do not receive regular funding – through the Grants for the Arts scheme.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell welcomed the outcomes of the spending plan, commenting that the organisations funded were in tune with recommendations from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support innovation, excellence and relevance, following the government’s commitment to inject an extra £75 million into the arts by 2005/2006.
‘Last year, I asked the arts council to focus their new money on quality and innovation and to give a real lift to previously under-funded artforms,’ Jowell said. ‘Our “access to excellence” policy will mean that this spectacular increase in funding will bring the best to the most.’
Companies creating some of the most cutting-edge theatre in Britain have been awarded increases, including multimedia/performance/installation artists Blast Theory, which will have its current grant of £55,000 almost doubled to £100,000 by 2006. Sheffield-based experimental theatre company, Forced Entertainment, has received an £80,500 boost, while Frantic Assembly – a physical theatre company with a strong new writing policy – has seen its grant increase by 133%, from £60,000 in 2003/2004 to £140,000 in 2005/2006. Meanwhile, Company of Angels has received funding for the first time.
In addition to the biennial, Liverpool received another boost to its arts and cultural industries with a 53% increase in funds awarded to the recently opened FACT Centre.
Further north, another newly-opened venue secured three-year funding. The BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, which has come under financial scrutiny of late – despite attracting 500,000 visitors within the first six months of opening last year – will receive more than £800,000 by 2006, up from its current provision of £257,000.
Peter Hewitt, ACE Chief Executive, said tough decisions had to be made, but the single-organisation approach had its benefits.
‘As one organisation, we have been able for the first time in decades to take a “big picture” approach, looking at how to apply all of our money to all of the arts across all of England. In the process, we have made some clear and tough choices, and we have matched our money to exciting ideas and rewarded big, bold initiatives.’
However, established organisations have also benefited. The Royal Opera House received a £3.1 million cash injection, while the Royal National Theatre was awarded a 16.5% increase, to the tune of £2.4 million.
England’s eight symphony orchestras will get an extra £2.4 million over the next three years, while the Britten Sinfonia, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and London Mozart players all received significant increases – 100%, 111% and 300% respectively.
Meanwhile, the crisis-hit English National Opera will receive just 10% more, awarded almost £2.5 million extra over the next three years.
Another London-based organisation desperately in need of funds, the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT), also did not experience a significant increase, attracting 9% more funds. LIFT recently had core funding cut from the Association of London Government. Yesterday’s budget revealed ACE will increase its grant from £450,000 in 2003/2004 to £625,000 by 2006.
In addition to funds to organisations and individuals, ACE also announced the provision of flexible funds, whereby a total of £82 million will be available to identify new opportunities for the arts, establish new initiatives and partnerships and address ambitions for growth, such as cultural diversity and the European Capital of Culture.
The Creative Partnerships programme will also receive an extra £45 million, on top of the current £40 million, to roll out the pilot initiative to a further 20 areas.
From the Regions:
East Midlands
Arts Council England East Midlands announced that more than £14 million will be invested into the arts in the East Midlands during the three-year period, 2003-2006. Junction Arts, Q Arts Derby Dance Centre and Charnwood Arts are among the organisations to receive significant cash boosts.
East England
Arts Council England East gained a 44% financial uplift – an additional £9 million in real terms – including a four-fold increase to the Luton Carnival. A new capital project in Colchester, Firstsite, plus Aldeburgh Productions and Dance East were among other recipients.
North West
During the three years 2003-2006, Arts Council England North West will spend almost £80 million in support of the arts in the region. In addition to the funding mentioned previously granted to Liverpool-based organisations, other companies to benefit in the region include Ludus Dance Agency, Chester Summer Music Festival, Burnley Youth Theatre and Horse and Bamboo Theatre Company.
South East
Arts Council England South East announced a 54% increase in investment in arts organisations in the region over the next three years. 113 regularly funded organisations in the region will share a total of £30,095,370 in 2006, compared with £7,114,663 this year.
Yorkshire
More than £5 million a year in new investment will be pumped into the arts in Yorkshire by 2005/2006, with 125 organisations across Yorkshire and the Humber set to get more money, with another 13 receiving regular funding for the first time.
To view a full list of organisations funded across the UK, CLICK HERE to download the report from the Arts Council England website.
