£15.4m to go to Wales' Arts and Culture sector to help deal with Alert Level Two restrictions
£15.4m is being given to Wales' Arts and Culture sector to support it during the pandemic.
The Welsh Government says the funding will support organisations impacted by the recent Alert Level 2 measures in a bid to control the spread of the Omicron variant.
The money is part of the third round of the Cultural Recovery Fund from the government, which has been made available to organisations heavily impacted by Covid-19. The previous two phases of the Fund has provided £93m.
The Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden has said: "We are fully aware that these impacted sectors continue to face new pressures, which is why we've been working with the Arts Council to make this additional funding available as soon as possible.
"The innovation and resilience which has been demonstrated by the people and organisations which make these sectors so vibrant has been remarkable - we want to ensure that the sector continues to play a part in our recovery from the pandemic and in bringing people together once more.
"The culture sector also plays an important part in our economy and this is yet another step in the support that we are offering to businesses. Since the start of the pandemic, we've provided over £2.6bn of support to businesses throughout Wales to help them manage their way through difficult circumstances."
The Arts Council of Wales is launching an application process for arts sector organisations to apply for the money on Wednesday.
To be eligible, businesses will have to self-declare that they have experienced a material impact through reduced turnover between December 2021 and February 2022.
Chairman of the Arts Council of Wales, Phil George, said; "Through this fund the Arts Council will continue to provide essential support to ensure the viability and survival of cultural organisations across Wales who are facing a period of serious financial challenge.
"Working alongside colleagues in Welsh Government, we are determined to ensure that arts and cultural organisations who play a key role in the wellbeing of communities across Wales will be able to bring solace, delight and vision as we struggle with the pandemic and as we recover and rebuild.
"The need for this support has obviously become even more urgent as a result of the impact of the Omicron variant."
From 17 January the Welsh Government is sending out a letter to other impacted sectors on what funding options are available to them. This includes music venues, heritage sites, event venues and organisers, independent local museums, community and independent libraries, galleries and independent cinemas
It also says there will be support for eligible business and organisations which have not received support via Cultural Recovery Fund to date, if they meet the criteria. More details can be found on www.Businesswales.gov.wales
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