Government capital investment in the arts

Theatres Trust welcomes the announcement of half a billion pounds for arts buildings in England over the course of the current parliament.

Our CEO Joshua McTaggart was at the event at the Barbican last night where Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa RT Hon Nandy MP announced details of new funding for the arts and heritage sectors. Theatres Trust was invited as we've played an important role in making the case as to why theatres need more investment - and we will continue to make that case.

Research carried out on our behalf in 2021 demonstrated that scale of investment needed to make the UK’s theatres accessible, sustainable and suitable for modern and future audience was around £1bn. It therefore came as no surprise to us that the first round of the Creative Foundations Fund was nearly nine times oversubscribed.

The announcement of half a billion pounds in capital funding for the arts over the course of this parliament is hugely welcome. 

The capital funding for NPOs alongside the extension of the Creative Foundations Fund represents a significant investment the country’s cultural infrastructure and will provide a much-needed level of future proofing.

Joshua McTaggart said "This is about more than just the future of our theatre buildings. This is about investment in our communities, creating opportunities and boosting local economies. Millions of people up and down the country will benefit from this."

Theatres Trust provides expert services to any theatre considering a capital project and we look forward to supporting organisations who wish to make applications to future rounds of the Creative Foundations Fund.