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The Millennium Commission and Arts Council England today announced that £15 million is available for cultural projects in urban areas across the UK. This new initiative builds on the successful Cities of Culture competition run in 2003 which generated a huge amount of ideas and support in all sectors of the community. The Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport and The Chair of the Millennium Commission said, “This grant reflects the explosion of interest in culture and the arts in the UK in recent years. Twelve cities produced really outstanding bids during last year's competition to find the UK's Capital of Culture 2008, and this grant will help build on this. But it is not only the bidding cities that can apply. Applications will be welcome from across the country. Our visual and performing arts in this country are world class. They fire our children's imagination, boost our creativity as a nation and help promote our values and achievements abroad. But they are also a key element in driving regeneration of our cities. It is absolutely right that Lottery money should be used to help achieve this end”. Peter Hewitt, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said, “I am delighted that the Arts Council and the Millennium Commission are able to work together to build on the momentum created by last year’s search for the City of Culture 2008. The Arts Council has already contributed to the regeneration of many towns and cities in England through our capital programmes and other funding. We will be able to provide more support for the arts in urban areas across England through this programme.” The Millennium Commission and Arts Council England are inviting applications for grants to be spent in 2004 – 2006 to fund: •Cultural programmes – festivals, events, exhibitions and showcases –demonstrating that culture and the arts are central to the life of the area, contributing towards its regeneration •Cultural programmes of excellence for all residents and visitors in the area •Cultural programmes with clearly defined objectives around one or more of the following:
• Cultural diversity
• Uniting communities
• Opportunities among young people and community groups
• Creative learning and development – presenting new opportunities for individuals and communities
• International co-operation – promoting the area’s cultural wealth in Europe
• Protecting and sustaining the environment •Cultural programmes with a legacy value, demonstrating long-term community or other lasting public benefits •Projects that are millennial in nature – in that they celebrate in some way the start of the new millennium •Cultural programmes with strong public support Capital work will only be funded where they are a minor integral part of the infrastructure of the cultural programme. Applications must come from consortia, which must include a local authority with a minimum population of 120,000 concentrated in a large city or town. The minimum grant will be £500,000 and not more than 50% of the costs of a programme will be funded. Applicants will need to demonstrate that they have secured the remaining funding from other partners. Millennium Commission funding of £10 million will cover applications from the whole of the United Kingdom. Arts Council England will cover English applications only. Applicants in England are advised to discuss their plans with the Arts Council office for the region in which they are based. Application forms and guidance notes will be available from Monday 22 March 2004 on The Millennium Commission and Arts Council England websites:
www.artscouncil.org.uk
www.millennium.gov.uk Potential applicants can register their interest immediately with Hannah Driscoll at The Millennium Commission (hdriscoll@millennium.gov.uk or 0207 880 2064) who will remind them when the application form and guidance notes are available on the websites. The deadline for applications is Friday 30 April 2004.
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Notes to Editors 1. The Millennium Commission is one of the good causes which distributes funds from the National Lottery. Its income from the Lottery ceased in August 2001 and its work will be complete by 2006.
2. The Millennium Commission has supported:
• Around 200 new buildings, environmental projects and visitor attractions on over 3,000 sites across the UK.
• Over 100 Awards Schemes which distribute Millennium Awards to individuals for community based projects. Over 32,000 people have now received a Millennium Award;
• the largest programme of year-long celebrations ever mounted in the UK with thousands of community festivals, which began on New Year’s Eve 1999 and culminated on New Year’s Eve 2000 with celebrations in 32 towns and cities across the UK.;
• The Millennium Encore Scheme which is enabling at least 70,000 young people across the UK to experience performing arts productions;
• The Millennium Experience at Greenwich and the National Programme. 3. Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts. Between 2003 and 2006 we will invest £2 billion of public funds in the arts in England, including funding from the National Lottery. For further information please contact the Millennium Commission Press Office on 020 7880 2007 or Alex Holdaway in the Arts Council England Press Office on 020 7973 6459
Web sites can be accessed at www.millennium.gov.uk and www.starpeople.org.uk or www.artscouncil.org.uk
Millennium Commission 3rd-March-2004
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