Chineke! Foundation awarded grant from Culture Recovery Fund
The Chineke! Foundation has received a grant of £150,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.
More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including the Chineke! Foundation in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.
The funding will allow the Chineke! Foundation to stage new full scale concerts by the Chineke! Orchestra, the organisation’s flagship ensemble. It is hoped that once the pandemic restrictions have been eased this will allow for live audiences to attend concerts, in addition to accessing the events via digital streaming.
This is the second time that the Chineke! Foundation has received a grant from the fund, having been awarded £300,000 in the first round distribution phase. This funding resulted in the staging of three behind-closed-doors concerts at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in autumn 2020, which were streamed to a global audience for free via YouTube, as well as concerts by the Chineke! Chamber Ensemble.
Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.
Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:
“Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they've ever faced.
Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors - helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead."
Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, Founder and Artistic & Executive Director of Chineke!, said:
“Everyone associated with the Chineke! Foundation is thrilled at this further generous vote of confidence from Arts Council England and DCMS for the work that we are doing. After more than a year of having to perform behind closed doors, this Culture Recovery grant will enable us to take our first steps out of lockdown, welcoming audiences back to Southbank Centre where we are proud to be an Associate Orchestra.”
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:
“Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.
We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”
The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.