Support from the Arts Council

It is great when you have some good news. It is even better when you know that it is going to benefit the Museum. 

Several weeks ago, I spent a frantic week pulling together two applications for funding to help the Museum through this current crisis. Studying the criteria, pulling together ideas, working through our finances until I could finalise the applications and get them submitted before their relevant deadlines. Many of our normal funding bodies are currently re-aligning their funds to support the arts and cultural sector, publicising their emergency funds with incredibly short deadlines to ensure that those that need/receive it get the funds as soon as possible.

Infact it is a funding minefield out there, with big funders and smaller ones all scrambling to try and help. Each have their own criteria and deadlines to work too; have particular things that they will or will not fund; have limited timescales that the funds apply too. Museums up and down the country are each looking at what they are eligible to apply for and all this research and preparation takes valuable time. And with shorter deadlines, furloughed staff, working from home...I think you get the picture.

So imagine my disappointment when I found out that the Museum hadn't been successful with the Historic England application. I spent a whole weekend finalising the detail, checking costings, looking at what resources were needed to have all the ideas shot down in flames. A no-go. No can do. 

When the email came through the following day that I needed to check the Arts Council portal, my heart initially sank. I was listening to an on-line lecture and had to wait until it had finished before I could visit the site. I logged in and accessed the relevant area and there was the confirmation - we had been successful! When I get good news like that, I tend to shout out very loud (as my work colleagues know!) and this time, at home, was my husband who rushed into the room to check everything was okay. Fantastic news, and thanks to the Arts Council's Emergency Response  Fund we secured a grant of £31,000 to help with some core costs and activity which will help over the next few months.

So today we have announced on social media about our success and acknowledged the help that Arts Council England have given us. These are tough times at the moment, so tweeting and writing a post on facebook is the least we can do to thank ACE for their support. I am sure many other arts and cultural organisations are doing the same.