The Garfield Weston Foundation has created a special fund of £25 million to support mid- to large-scale organisations involved in the performing and visual arts.
Applications will be open from 5 October until 9 November for eligible organisations who should be registered charities and have a consistent pre-COVID annual income of £500,000 or more.
Funding from the Weston Culture Fund will be targeted towards initiatives to resume work, reconnect with audiences, adapt to new conditions and create income.
Philippa Charles, the Foundation’s director, said, “the UK’s performing and visual arts are among the best in the world but they have been hit hard by the pandemic. It became very clear to our trustees that, while we have seen some incredibly creative responses to COVID-19, many cultural organisations need support to restart their important work and bring audiences back. Arts organisations are desperate to reopen and get back to what they do best and we hope that this new fund will help them do exactly that.
"Yet we also recognise that not everyone will be eligible for the Weston Culture Fund and we would urge those organisations to continue to apply for the Foundation’s regular grants. We are very much open and will continue to support charities as we have for over 60 years.”
Grants from the Fund will range from £100,000 to £2 million based on the size of the organisation.
No further information relating to the application process is currently available and those interested in doing so should refer to the Foundation's web site on 5 October, the launch date.