South Shield’s Customs House has received a grant of £255,000 from the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund in which 588 cultural and creative organisations receive a total of £76 million of investment. This follows the £257 million awarded earlier in the week to 1,385 organisations.
The grant will help sustain The Customs House’s future post-Covid, as well as enabling it to plan for its future programme and create a safe environment for audience members to return to the venue.
It will enable the charity to continue the work it does throughout the year in the community, with young people, new writing, emerging talent and creating first-rate entertainment. The grant will also support the shortfall from the closure of venue during the pandemic with more than 200 performances being cancelled.
The Culture Recovery Fund grants programme is administered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.