Last week, Arts Council England revealed the portfolio of cultural projects from around the country that it will be funding from 2023 to 2026. Every few years, the agency (ACE) has to decide where to invest huge sums of public money from the National Lottery, and arts organisations spend considerable time and effort carefully preparing their proposals in the hope that come the announcement day, they will fall into the winners' column.
In the Bristol area, 24 organisations are set to receive a total of £10m in annual funding over the next three years - an increase of £4m from the annual award that was made between 2018 and 2022. As part of the government’s directive to ‘level up’ parts of the country in need of more investment, ACE also cut £50m a year from London-based organisations to ensure funds reach every corner of the country.
The biggest piece of the pie in Bristol will go to Bristol Museums, which has been awarded nearly £1.4m, up by £24,650 from its previous award, closely followed by Bristol Old Vic Theatre Royal Trust, which scoops up £1.2m. After losing its status as an ACE National Portfolio Organisation in 2017 but later receiving a grant of £1.8 m to fund a more ‘sustainable future’, The Arnolfini is set to receive £700k.
