New Funding For Arts, Culture And Heritage Renewal Projects

New funding of almost £1.5 million has been announced for arts, culture and heritage Renewal projects, Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has announced.

The funding forms part of the £29million Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme 2020/2021.

Some funding will support renewal projects being delivered by the Department's Arm's Length Bodies. Other funding is being allocated for small grant funds which will be distributed by partners. The funding will support new activity, help create partnerships improve access for disabled people as well as promote actions to tackle poverty and improve social inclusion.

The breakdown of the funding is as follows:

• £500,000 to NI Screen to deliver through their Creative Learning Centres digital film archive projects, a range of skills development projects and support to the Amma Centre, Cinemagic and local film festivals.

• £300,000 to Libraries NI to enhance access for communities to programming, collections, information technology and the online stock offer.

• £200,000 to National Museum NI to deliver 'Museums on the Move' which is an opportunity for museums to travel to classrooms and engage with the community and develop new partnership projects.

• £200,000 to The National Lottery Heritage Fund which will launch a call for applications for their Community Heritage Fund to deliver community based heritage projects

• £100,000 to Architectural Heritage Fund to catalyse renewal activity and animate communities impacted by Covid-19 to bring new life to historic buildings.

• £100,000 to University of Atypical to support deaf artists and those with a disability at a time when their income has been greatly reduced and this will also promote social inclusion.

• £50,000 to National Churches Trust to catalyse renewal activity and animate communities impacted by Covid-19 to carry out much needed repairs to historic churches.

• £15,000 to Arts Council to develop digital skills and knowledge of artists with disabilities.

The Minister said: "Culture, languages, arts and heritage should be enjoyed and experienced by everyone. Through these new funding pots, I want to encourage grassroots community organisations to bring forward ideas for projects that will give further opportunities for participation across our communities. The creative sectors can be a vehicle for social and economic change, including as a tool to tackle poverty and social exclusion – this funding will help to support that important agenda.

"This is the latest funding announcement flowing from the £29million investment made by the Executive to support the arts, heritage, culture and language sectors as a result of the impact of Covid-19."