More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country including NAWE in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

NAWE, based in York, has been awarded a grant of 25k by Arts Council England and the DCMS. NAWE's mission is to advocate for Creative Writing: enhancing knowledge and understanding of the subject, supporting writers and good practice in teaching and facilitation in all settings. The organisation works across the UK to support all writers working in education and communities through professional development, networking and connection. This grant will enable NAWE to continue to develop new strands of work and will contribute to the planning and programming of the next NAWE annual conference, which takes place online 10-12 March 2022.

The third round of funding will support organisations from all corners of the sector as they deal with ongoing reopening challenges, ensuring they can thrive in better times ahead.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

“Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from.

“Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”

Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, supporting around 5000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.

Seraphima Kennedy, Director of NAWE, said:

“This award from the Cultural Recovery Fund could not be more timely. Our sector continues to experience the impacts of the pandemic. The work we will now be able to do will directly support freelance writers who facilitate creative writing in communities and education settings as we continue to develop programmes and resources that contribute to their professional development and wellbeing. We are very grateful to Arts Council England and the DCMS for their support at this critical time.”

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said:

“This continued investment from the Government on an unprecedented scale means our theatres, galleries, music venues, museums and arts centres can carry on playing their part in bringing visitors back to our high streets, helping to drive economic growth, boosting community pride and promoting good health. It’s a massive vote of confidence in the role our cultural organisations play in helping us all to lead happier lives”.

Notes to Editors

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let's Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision.

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s unprecedented Culture Recovery Funds. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.