GATESHEAD.- Baltic announced it has been successful in its application to the Arts Everywhere Fund and will receive £3,649,800 to support critical building maintenance and system upgrades.

Baltic will receive a £3,649,800 grant to support critical building maintenance, repairs and system upgrades. Delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, The Creative Foundations Fund (CFF), twelve cultural venues, local museums and libraries across the North East are set to benefit from a £12 million funding boost, helping to ensure that everyone can access arts and culture in the places they call home.

Venues ranging from Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust, the Museum of Hartlepool and Northumberland Libraries will receive a much needed cash boost to help open up access to facilities, complete much needed building projects and upgrade technology on site. In total, 130 organisations across the country are receiving a share of funding today, marking the first projects receiving cash from the government’s Arts Everywhere Fund. As the cost of living continues to affect families across Britain, funding for these venues will help provide welcoming, affordable spaces for communities to visit, come together and celebrate what makes their local area special.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said: "Baltic is one of the North East's most iconic cultural spaces, and this £3.6 million investment will make sure it stays that way. By funding critical repairs and upgrades, we're protecting a venue that inspires and brings people together and ensuring visitors from across the region can continue to enjoy world-class exhibitions and activities for years to come.”





Earlier this year, the Culture Secretary committed up to £1.5 billion to the cultural sector over this parliament, with the Arts Everywhere Fund aiming to save more than 1,000 cherished arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. Today's £12 million for the North East which is administered and delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is made up of three funds:

The Creative Foundations Fund (CFF) has allocated £8.4 million to seven arts and cultural venues to help theatres, performing arts venues, galleries and grassroots music venues address urgent infrastructure needs across the North East. In this round, organisations such as Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust, which will receive £3,649,800 to undertake business critical repairs and system replacements that will ensure visitors can continue to enjoy and be inspired by its programme of exhibitions and activities.

Sarah Munro, Baltic Director said: “We are grateful that our application to the Creative Foundations Fund was successful. This is such welcome news. The amount we will receive is significant, as are the maintenance costs involved in operating Baltic, an iconic and much-loved gallery that has now received 10million visits.

This investment is for essential building works and infrastructure upgrades, crucial to successfully managing the building. As Baltic approaches its 25th anniversary in 2027, we want to keep welcoming and engaging millions more visitors, communities, children and young people in art and creativity. Maintaining the building is critical in doing that.”

Rebecca Ball, Area Director, North, Arts Council England said:“Our museums, libraries and arts organisations have the power to change lives, they give us access to new worlds, teach us about our heritage and give us new perspectives on life. I’m so pleased that we’ll be supporting so many of our cultural organisations in the North with this capital investment, which will ensure that they can continue to deliver incredible arts and culture to their communities.”