ACE invests £5.3m to boost diversity across the sector
Grants awarded to 40 arts and culture organisations
Arts and culture organisations in England with a track record in enhancing diversity have been allocated £5.3m from Arts Council England’s (ACE) Elevate fund to boost their resilience.
Forty black and minority ethnic (BAME) or disability-led organisations have been awarded funding to help them increase staff capacity, generate new sources of revenue and make stronger applications to other arts council investment streams.
The Elevate fund initially stood at £2.1m but was topped up with lottery money due to the strength of applications received by ACE.
Successful applicants include the International Curators Forum, which has been granted £150,000 for a two-year project to work in partnership with the University of the Arts London addressing the under-representation of curators from BAME backgrounds at senior level in the visual arts sector.
Artcore in Derby, which works with people of all ages, abilities and ethnic backgrounds using visual art to promote wellbeing and community cohesion, has received just under £150,000 to hire a new member of staff to enhance its programming.
Works by Leah Gordon on display in the KANAVAL exhibition at the Ort Gallery in 2014. Photograph: Marcin Sz
The Ort Gallery in Birmingham, an artist-led oganisation that promotes exhibitions by artists from diverse backgrounds, has been awarded £100,000 to improve its business plans, increase community outreach and set up a membership scheme.
Meanwhile the Milton Keynes Islamic Arts Heritage & Culture Organisation has been awarded just over £120,000 to work with museums, universities and arts organisations to engage and integrate Muslim and other diverse communities.
Abid Hussain, the arts council's director of diversity, said: “Diversity is a crucial priority for the arts council; the increased scale of our investment through Elevate is a testament to our ambition of driving forward meaningful change.”
The announcement comes weeks after a Museums Association report found that discrimination was damaging staff retention and diversity in the museum sector.
Forty black and minority ethnic (BAME) or disability-led organisations have been awarded funding to help them increase staff capacity, generate new sources of revenue and make stronger applications to other arts council investment streams.
The Elevate fund initially stood at £2.1m but was topped up with lottery money due to the strength of applications received by ACE.
Successful applicants include the International Curators Forum, which has been granted £150,000 for a two-year project to work in partnership with the University of the Arts London addressing the under-representation of curators from BAME backgrounds at senior level in the visual arts sector.
Artcore in Derby, which works with people of all ages, abilities and ethnic backgrounds using visual art to promote wellbeing and community cohesion, has received just under £150,000 to hire a new member of staff to enhance its programming.
Works by Leah Gordon on display in the KANAVAL exhibition at the Ort Gallery in 2014. Photograph: Marcin Sz
The Ort Gallery in Birmingham, an artist-led oganisation that promotes exhibitions by artists from diverse backgrounds, has been awarded £100,000 to improve its business plans, increase community outreach and set up a membership scheme.
Meanwhile the Milton Keynes Islamic Arts Heritage & Culture Organisation has been awarded just over £120,000 to work with museums, universities and arts organisations to engage and integrate Muslim and other diverse communities.
Abid Hussain, the arts council's director of diversity, said: “Diversity is a crucial priority for the arts council; the increased scale of our investment through Elevate is a testament to our ambition of driving forward meaningful change.”
The announcement comes weeks after a Museums Association report found that discrimination was damaging staff retention and diversity in the museum sector.