The Museum of Cambridge is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant of £29,505 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund to help the Museum recover and re-open following Covid-19.
This will provide a much-needed boost to the Museum’s finances and is a big vote of confidence in the Museum’s plans to recover from the unprecedented financial challenge of Covid-19. Together with the Museum’s successful fundraising campaign, this grant will help ensure the Museum is able to re-open after lockdown as soon and as safely as we can.
The impact of Covid-19 has been severe and unprecedented. The Museum has lost almost a full year of opening and the associated income from admissions. We have also lost income as we have been unable to hire out our space or run educational workshops for English Language schools in Cambridge. The total impact of Covid-19 remains unclear but will run into many thousands of pounds of direct costs and lost revenue.
After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for the Museum as we transition back to normal in the months ahead.
Lucy Walker, Chair of Trustees, said:
“We’re delighted to receive this much-needed support from the Arts Council. This will make a big difference to our reopening plans over the next few months and greatly increase what we’re able to offer our visitors.
Along with our successful fundraising campaign, this funding will also play a big role in securing the Museum’s financial sustainability.”
Matt Hann, Fundraising Trustee, said:
“This is very welcome news; we’re delighted to receive this much-needed support from the Arts Council and Government.
The Museum has always relied on fundraising and the generosity of our many donors alongside admissions income, and this will remain the case in future, but this grant will allow the Museum to take decisive action now to bolster our long-term financial sustainability.
We can’t wait to welcome visitors back to the Museum this summer – and for many summers after that, too.”
Daniel Zeichner MP for Cambridge, said:
“This is wonderful news for the Museum of Cambridge, and for the people of Cambridge and the surrounding area.
Like many other arts, culture and heritage organisations, the Museum has been devastated by the impact of Covid 19 and the associated restrictions, and like many venues was at risk of closure.
This funding boost, along with all the generous donations provided by members of the public, gives the Museum a fighting chance of survival. I am thoroughly looking forward to visiting the Museum again when it reopens safely in the summer.”
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:
“Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.
We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”