CICCIC receives lifeline grant from Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund

Creative Innovation Centre CIC (also known as CICCIC) has been awarded £77,345 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary has announced today.

CICCIC is one of 588 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support – with £76 million of investment announced today. This follows £257 million awarded earlier in the week to 1,385 organisations, also from the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

CICCIC, a not-for-profit organisation set up in 2012 to develop creativity within the arts for individuals, groups and communities, also offers quality events from all art forms. From visual art exhibitions to live music, comedy to community events, talks to film screenings, poetry to workshops, its arts and cultural provision saw over 600 events per year.  

CICCIC Director Andrew Knutt said:

“This much needed funding is a lifeline for our centre and for our community and without it we would find it hard to survive the coming months. With this fund we are able to pay our overheads and start to deliver reduced capacity events.

We still have a lot to do but knowing we can pay certain bills means our centre will be ready to receive full capacity events when the time comes.”    

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

“This is more vital funding to protect cultural gems across the country, save jobs and prepare the arts to bounce back. Through Arts Council England we are delivering the biggest ever investment in the arts in record time. Hundreds of millions of pounds are already making their way to thousands of organisations.

“These awards build on our commitment to be here for culture in every part of the country.”

Chair, Arts Council England, Sir Nicholas Serota, said:

“Culture is an essential part of life across the country, helping to support people’s wellbeing through creativity and self-expression, bringing communities together, and fuelling our world class creative industries. 

“This latest set of awards from the Culture Recovery Fund builds on those announced recently and will help hundreds of organisations to survive the next few months, ensuring that the cultural sector can bounce back after the crisis.  We will continue doing everything we can to support artists and cultural and creative organisations, with further funding to be announced in the coming weeks.”

CICCIC Director Richard Holt said:

“We serve over 20,000 people per year. From dementia art classes to live entertainment so the loss of CICCIC would be detrimental to Taunton’s cultural offer and the many people who use our centre. Now we know CICCIC can be saved during these unsure times and we are so pleased to have the support of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.”