Two Midlands venues have been awarded cash from Arts Council England’s Catalyst Arts scheme.
The project aims to make arts organisations more sustainable, resilient and innovative by increasing their fund-raising potential and attracting new money to invest in artistic work.
Birmingham REP has been awarded £180,000 over three years while
Coventry-based Warwick Arts Centre has been given a £120,000 grant.
The REP will use the money to identify and encourage philanthropists within its customer base.
Warwick Arts Centre will use the new funding to work with established and emerging artists, and to identify new and sustainable income to develop more high-quality, commissioned work.
Arts centre director Alan Rivett said, “This award is a vote of confidence from Arts Council England for our high-quality programme.
“Fund-raising is an essential part of our activity and this award will help us to make great art and extend our award-winning creative work in arts education.”
The funds will also be used to generate further income for its education programme, developing work with artists and schools in Coventry, Warwickshire, Solihull and elsewhere in the West Midlands.
Warwick Arts Centre’s successes include raising £1.4million to redevelop its 1,500-seat concert venue Butterworth Hall.