Jack Sargeant MS, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership
I am pleased to announce today that the Welsh Government is providing additional revenue funding of £1m in 2024-25 to support organisational resilience and protect jobs in the arts sector, through the Arts Council of Wales. Together with the Welsh Government’s revenue allocation of £1.5m already announced on 5 September and the Arts Council of Wales’ investment of £1.1m National Lottery funding, a total Resilience Fund of £3.6m will now be delivered to arts sector organisations across Wales.
This funding represents a significant investment in the arts and will provide vital support to arts organisations to improve resilience amid ongoing challenges.
This funding not only demonstrates the Welsh Government’s ongoing commitment to the arts sectors in Wales but also the wider Welsh economy, with the Arts Council of Wales’ recently published Economic Impact Report highlighting that every £1 invested in the Arts Council of Wales’ work produced £2.51 of economic benefit.
The Arts Council of Wales will announce today how the total fund will be allocated to support the arts sector. I am pleased that 60 arts organisations across Wales will be receiving support, including support for the Welsh National Opera, Theatr Mwldan, No Fit State Community Circus, Wyeside Arts Centre, Wrexham Sounds, and Blackwood Miners’ Institute.
The Welsh Government recognises the economic, social and cultural benefits the arts sector brings to Wales and the pressures the sector has been facing. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this funding will deliver.