Dawn Bowden MS, Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, and Chief Whip
Today I am announcing additional support for the cultural sector in Wales which continues to be impacted by the pandemic and the alert level two measures the Welsh Government has put in place to keep Wales safe.
The Welsh Government is allocating an additional £15.438m to run a third round of the Cultural Recovery Fund (CRF).
The Arts Council of Wales will launch its application process today to support organisations within the arts sector. The previously announced Winter Stability Fund budget is being merged into the third round of CRF to ensure alignment with the wider funding support on offer.
Music venues, heritage sites, event venues and organisers, independent local museums, community and independent libraries, galleries and independent cinemas, which were previously supported via the Welsh Government’s CRF will be contacted by letter from the week commencing 17 January. The letter will set out how they can access funding support. There will also be support for eligible business and organisations which have not received support via CRF to date, if they meet the criteria.
To be eligible, businesses will have to self-declare they have experienced a material impact through a reduced turnover between December 2021 and February 2022.
We know the alert level two measures are having an impact on the creative freelance community and we are looking to increase support to them. More details will be provided during the week commencing 17 January.
This third round builds on the previous two phases of the CRF, which have provided £93m and has supported businesses, organisations and individuals in the key cultural sectors.