Culture Recovery Fund for DASH!

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Disability Arts in Shropshire to receive £35,000 from second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund
DASH are among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund
This award will help DASH to extend its services and plan for the future

DASH in Shropshire has received a grant of £35,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including DASH in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

DASH is a Disabled-led visual arts organisation. It creates opportunities for Disabled artists to develop their creative practice. These opportunities take many forms, from high quality commissions to community based workshops, the work it creates is centred around its vision and mission.

DASH works with artists, audiences, communities and organisations to challenge inequality and implement change.

With a history of work including visual arts, dance, theatre, live arts and festivals in Shropshire since the mid-1990s, DASH became a limited company and registered charity in 2001 and in 2004 secured revenue funding from Arts Council England. In 2009 DASH took the decision to specialise its work in visual arts, while expanding its geographical boundaries.

During the last ten years DASH has undertaken truly ground-breaking work – projects that have challenged perceptions, fostered and mentored new Deaf and Disabled artists, encouraged professional development and helped to engineer change in the sector.

Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:
“Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they've ever faced.

Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors - helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead."

Paula Dower said:

“The staff and trustees are thrilled that DASH has been awarded this funding. It recognises the work DASH have been doing, not only during the pandemic, but over the last 20 years, supporting Deaf and Disabled artists and making change by addressing serious issues of access for Deaf and Disabled people within the visual arts sector.

The funding will be used to extend our free mentoring support offer for Deaf and Disabled artists and create a new strategy for DASH that will secure our future through this difficult time and well into the future.”

Craig Ashley, Chair of DASH said:

"This award provides the investment DASH really needs, securing the organisation and our activity for the benefit of those we’re working to support. The funding comes at such a critical time and will enable us to develop and grow.

We can now turn our attention to the future, building on the achievements of the past 20 years and working with our partners in the sector to create the space for d/Deaf and Disabled artists to thrive."

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:
“nvesting 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.”

The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.

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. www.artscouncil.org.uk

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 Culture Recovery Fund. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.

At the Budget, the Chancellor announced the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund would be boosted with a further £300 million investment. Details of this third round of funding will be announced soon.