Art Fund unveils new grants as museums fight for survival
Creative charity Art Fund has announced a further tranche of emergency funding for UK museums amid concerns the latest lockdown could put venues out of business.
The charity today said it was committing an extra £750,000 in grants, taking its total Covid-19 response fund to £2.25m.
Recipients of the latest support include the Cinema Museum in Kennington, Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in Ealing and the Barts Pathology Museum.
Art Fund director Jenny Waldman described the current national lockdown as a “body blow” for museums, adding that many were now fighting for survival.
“Smaller museums in particular, which are so vital to their communities, simply do not have the reserves to see them through this winter,” she said.
Research carried out by the charity showed 60 per cent of UK museums were worried about their viability.
Earlier this month the Florence Nightingale Museum at St Thomas’ Hospital near Waterloo said it was closing indefinitely after lockdown, opening only for “special, one-off events”.
However, Art Fund warned its £2.25m grant package was not nearly enough to meet the needs of struggling museums.
The charity has received a total of 451 applications from museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK totalling just under £17m, meaning only 15 per cent of applicants have been successful.
A fresh campaign has now been launched to raise a further £1m through an auction of objects made by top artists.
The Together for Museums campaign offers products starting at £15 from artists including Cornelia Parker, Jeremy Deller and Sir Anish Kapoor.