Derby City Council is to launch a £500k Culture Fund to support culture and arts organisations in Derby that are experiencing financial difficulty due to the impacts of Covid-19.

Individual grants of up to £50k will be available depending on a range of criteria relating to organisations’ fixed costs such as rent, business rates and payroll. Eligibility requirements and details of the required information are available on the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) Culture Fund page.

The forced closures of venues through Covid restrictions have meant significant loss of revenue within the sector placing many cultural organisations in a precarious financial position. We know that culture has a vital role to play in Derby’s response to the impacts of Covid and so the ARG Culture Fund is there to support short-term sustainability of cultural organisations, ensuring they can contribute to Derby’s post-Covid economic and social recovery.

If you are an organisation whose primary role is to create, present or support creative or cultural activity in Derby you are eligible to apply to the ARG Culture Fund.

Priority will be given to applications from the following:

  • Not for profit organisations, particularly those that can demonstrate a track record of delivering social value as well as cultural value in Derby. Social value could include delivering education, health or wellbeing outcomes.
  • Organisations in financial difficulty that can demonstrate a proactive approach to ensuring ongoing viability, particularly those accessing funds through Arts Council’s Culture Recovery Fund.

Applications are open now with the deadline for submission 12.00 noon on Tuesday 1st June 2021 with the aim of completing assessments and issuing decision letters by Wednesday 30th June 2021.

Mike Brown, Arts Development Manager said:

Culture brings life and vitality to our city centre, bringing people together in shared experiences through festivals, events, performances and exhibitions. This positively impacts on our economy through encouraging visitors, supporting business confidence and bringing new types of opportunity to our high streets. We hope this new fund can help our cultural organisations get back to what they do best, making Derby a great place to live, work and visit.