130 cultural venues, museums, and libraries to receive funding boost that will improve access to arts and culture across the country 14.4.2026 | Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs 130 cultural venues, museums and libraries are set to receive a share of almost £130 million to protect them for present and future generations. Investment forms part of the Arts Everywhere Fund, a bumper £1.5 billion package to support cultural infrastructure projects Organisations such as The Lowry, Stratford East, The Black Country Living Museum and Derbyshire Libraries are amongst 130 receiving a needed cash boost 130 cultural venues, museums and libraries are set to benefit from a £127.8 million funding boost, helping to ensure that everyone can access arts and culture in the places they call home. Venues ranging from The Lowry Centre in Salford, The Hexagon in Reading and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Warwickshire will receive a much needed cash boost to help open up access to facilities, complete much needed building projects and upgrade technology on site. The 130 organisations receiving funding today mark the first projects receiving cash from the government’s Arts Everywhere Fund. As the cost of living continues to affect families across Britain, funding for these venues will help provide welcoming, affordable spaces for communities to visit, come together and celebrate what makes their local area special. Earlier this year, the Culture Secretary committed up to £1.5 billion to the cultural sector over this parliament, with the Arts Everywhere Fund aiming to save more than 1,000 cherished arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. Today’s £127.8 million which is administered and delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is made up of three funds: The Creative Foundations Fund (CFF) has allocated £96 million to 74 arts and cultural venues to help theatres, performing arts venues, galleries and grassroots music venues address urgent infrastructure needs. In this round, organisations such as The Lowry Centre Trust in Salford, which has been awarded £8.5 million to upgrade critical infrastructure. This funding will replace escalators with new lifts, providing step-free access to galleries and opening up more of the building. Visitors will benefit from improved access to galleries, theatres, family and conference spaces, along with enhanced café and retail facilities, creating a more inclusive and welcoming experience. Theatre Royal Stratford East in London has also secured £1,750,000 funding to upgrade its building and essential systems, ensuring the theatre remains safe, accessible and welcoming for local people. The Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) has allocated a share of £25.5 million to support 28 museums to undertake vital infrastructure works, and improve the visitor experience. In this round, organisations such as Black Country Living Museum in Dudley have been awarded £454,159 to safeguard key historic buildings, ensuring they remain safe and open for visitors while preserving the region’s unique heritage. In total the fund has supported 150 museums over the past four years. The Libraries Improvement Fund (LIF) has allocated a share of £6.3 million to 28 library services to help upgrade buildings and technology to better meet the needs of the community. The fund has already supported 95 projects across England over five years and this round will support organisations such as Derbyshire Libraries which will use £440,000 to refurbish three sites to create more welcoming, flexible spaces for community use, including bookable rooms and areas for local activities. It is hoped that these improvements will encourage more visits from children and families, support community engagement and ensure the libraries remain sustainable and well-used for years to come. Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said: Across the country, people take real pride in where they come from. Our local arts, museums and libraries are a big part of that, telling our stories, reflecting who we are, and bringing communities together. That’s why our Arts Everywhere Fund matters. We’re backing the places people care about most, with support for 130 venues across the country announced today. Arts and culture aren’t a luxury for a privileged few. They are for everyone, everywhere. They bring people together, open doors, and support our shared sense of belonging. That’s the role they can play as we build a stronger future for our country. Arts Council England Chair Sir Nicholas Serota said: Arts organisations, museums and libraries are the beating heart of our communities. After significant financial pressures in recent years, this vital investment will help organisations to secure futures where they thrive and not just survive. We look forward to seeing these cultural spaces flourish as they continue to provide access to excellent art and culture for everyone, everywhere, for many years to come. Other examples of funded projects include: Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival (CFF) in East Sussex will receive £468,701 in funding which will modernise the concert hall’s systems, improving accessibility, sustainability, and improve the experience for the audience and artists. This safeguards a vital cultural hub, supporting year-round events, opportunities for young people and community engagement across Brighton & Hove and Sussex. Newstead Abbey (MEND), in Nottinghamshire, is an internationally significant former home of the poet Lord Byron, will receive £1,550,747 for essential roof and drainage repairs. This investment will protect the historic building and its nationally important collections from persistent leaks, ensuring the site remains open for future generations to enjoy. Henleaze Library (LIF) in Bristol is awarded £279,147 to transform it into a more inclusive and flexible community space. The project includes a new front extension for meetings and events, accessible facilities, and digital upgrades allowing community access outside regular hours. The next rounds of these funds will open for applications in the coming months. Further details on the Museum Estate and Development Fund, and the new Museum Transformation Programme, along with the Libraries Improvement Fund will be announced in due course. ENDS Creative Foundations Fund full list of recipients: London Southbank Centre - £10,000,000 Harrow Arts Centre - £630,014 Certain Blacks - £150,000 Autograph ABP - £499,950 The Lyric Theatre Hammersmith Limited - £534,227 Theatre Royal Stratford East - £1,750,000 St Margaret’s House - £700,000 Create London, The White House, Dagenham - £500,000 Shoreditch Town Hall - £899,847 Kiln Theatre - £296,500 London Contemporary Dance (The Place) Limited - £660,000 Electric Ballroom CIC - £497,000 Rich Mix Cultural Foundation - £2,205,000 Royal Opera House - £5,000,000 VocalEyes - £102,254 English National Opera - £1,601,293 North East Northern Stage (Theatrical Productions) Ltd - £192,600 Queen’s Hall Arts - £393,068 THIRTY-SIX LIME STREET LIMITED - £847,932 Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust - £3,649,800 Gateway Studio CIO, New Trinity - £400,000 Middlesbrough Council Cultural Services - £2,595,000 The Cluny Events (North East) CIC - £334,000 North West Theatre Porto - £139,000 esea contemporary - £359,100 The Lowry Centre Trust - £8,500,000 Liverpool & Merseyside Theatres Trust Ltd - £999,999 Blackburn with Darwen BC - £990,000 Skylight Circus Arts - £125,990 Octopus Collective Ltd, Barrow - £396,000 East of England New Wolsey Theatre Company Ltd - £529,340 Palace Theatre Watford Limited - £999,896 Creative Arts East - £144,226 Stagetext - £183,356 Wysing Arts Centre - £195,000 Firstsite Ltd - £995,000 Britten Pears Arts - £1,954,825 South East Worthing Borough Council - £371,278 Brighton Dome & Festival Limited - £468,701 Watermill Theatre - £300,000 The Mill Arts Centre - £135,000 Kent County Council - £865,000 Portsmouth New Theatre Royal - £450,000 The Hexagon, Reading - £2,068,000 Turner Sims, Southampton - £350,000 Play to the Crowd, Theatre Royal Winchester - £398,000 South West TwoCan Inclusive Theatre Company - £283,169 Taunton Theatre Association Ltd - £527,083 Wiltshire Creative - £3,000,000 Friends of the Lyric CIC - £170,000 Newlyn Art Gallery Ltd - £726,599 Theatre Royal (Plymouth) Ltd - £8,356,000 Music Venue Properties - £999,000 Trinity Community Arts - £390,000 East Midlands University of Leicester, Attenborough Arts Centre - £899,999 Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, Leicester - £119,725 Northampton Theatres Trust - £538,000 Nottingham Playhouse - £285,574 North Kesteven District Council - £107,777 West Midlands Stoke on Trent & North Staffordshire Theatre Trust - £295,308 Royal Shakespeare Company - £7,298,800 Paines Plough - £750,000 Birmingham Royal Ballet - £949,953 Birmingham Repertory Theatre - £3,047,229 Claybody Theatre - £150,000 Wolverhampton Arts Centre - £4,999,999 Yorkshire and the Humber Hull Truck Theatre - £318,911 Barnsley Civic Enterprise Ltd Civic - £805,165 Kirklees Theatre Trust - £630,000 Yorkshire Dance Centre Trust - £750,000 Mind the Gap Studio - £100,000 Northern Ballet Limited - £522,500 Rotherham Theatres - £200,000 Scarborough Theatre Trust Ltd - £2,700,000 Museum Estate and Development Fund full list of recipients: London London Transport Museum - £999,999 Museum of the Order of St John - £413,015 North East Hartlepool Borough Council - £2,458,641 Chesters Roman Fort - £476,566 North West Grundy Art Gallery - £357,000 People’s History Museum - £2,491,670 Port Sunlight Village Trust - £499,999 Lancaster City Museum - £94,056 Bramall Hall, Stockport Museums - £1,000,000 Greater Manchester Transport Society - £244,000 The Armitt Museum and Library - £238,098 East of England Natural History Museum, Colchester - £499,477 Sheringham Museum - £456,170 South East Walmer Council - £3,080,000 The Brickworks Museum - £280,000 Whitchurch Silk Mill - £210,045 Brading Roman Villa - £80,707 South West Bristol Museums - £3,567,713 East Midlands Boston Guildhall - £401,112 National Tramway Museum - £492,880 Creswell Crags - £184,705 Newstead Abbey, Nottingham - £1,550,747 West Midlands Black Country Living Museum - £454,159 Compton Verney - £794,750 Yorkshire and the Humber Burton Constable Hall - £242,000 Oakwell Hall, Kirklees - £1,638,724 Yorkshire Museum - £2,000,000 Ryedale Folk Museum - £350,676 Libraries Improvement Fund full list of recipients: London London Borough Havering - £499,000 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham - £300,000 London Borough of Ealing Libraries - £50,000 RBG – Sport, Leisure and Library Services, Greenwich Libraries - £121,755 Harrow Libraries - £110,000 Camden Council - £149,655 East of England East Ham Co-Working and Study Space - £350,000 Suffolk County Council - £500,000 Cambridgeshire Community and Cultural Services - £150,000 North East Hartlepool Borough Council - £94,400 Northumberland Libraries - £491,022 Gateshead Council - Library Service - £71,794 North West Manchester City Council - £52,942 St Helens Council Library Service - £290,000 Rochdale Borough Council - £140,000 South East Surrey Libraries - £50,000 South West South Gloucestershire Council (Cultural Services) - £167,639 Devon County Council - £200,000 Bristol City Council - £279,147 East Midlands Derbyshire County Council - £440,000 West Midlands Walsall Council - £170,000 City of Wolverhampton Council - £270,000 Shropshire Libraries - £299,000 Telford & Wrekin - £235,971 Yorkshire and the Humber Sheffield Libraries - £87,000 North Lincolnshire Council - £265,560 Hull Culture and Leisure Library - £203,175 East Riding Libraries - £300,000 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/130-cultural-venues-museums-and-libraries-to-receive-funding-boost-that-will-improve-access-to-arts-and-culture-across-the-country