“This will save more than 1000 cherished arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England from closure. The move will fix urgent capital needs and open up access to culture for everyone, everywhere”. – Lisa Nandy
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has set out a £1.5 billion commitment to the arts, culture and heritage sectors, a move the Government says will prevent the closure of more than 1,000 venues across England while addressing long-neglected capital needs.
The funding is pitched as both a cultural and social intervention. With household budgets still under strain, ministers argue that safeguarding museums, libraries, arts venues and historic buildings ensures communities retain affordable, welcoming places to gather paces that offer free or low-cost days out and a sense of local pride at a time when both are in short supply.
Six museums sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport already rank among the ten most visited attractions in the UK, collectively welcoming millions each year without charging for entry. The new Investment is intended to strengthen that offer, extending access to culture beyond major cities and into towns and neighbourhoods that have seen years of underfunding.
A significant portion of the package is targeted at the basics: roofs, heating systems, storage, and long-overdue repairs. More than £100 million is earmarked specifically for local museums struggling with maintenance backlogs and rising costs, with up to 200 sites expected to benefit directly. The focus, the Government says, will be on organisations and regions that have historically received the least support.
The funding forms part of the Government’s wider “Plan for Change”, which places culture at the centre of civic life alongside education, heritage and place-making. Ministers frame the move as a reset after what they describe as a decade of neglect, positioning culture not as a luxury but as essential infrastructure.
Speaking alongside the announcement, Lisa Nandy described arts and heritage as a unifying force. Cultural institutions, she said, are not simply buildings but “part of who we are as a nation”, offering young people pathways into creativity while anchoring communities in shared history. The funding, she added, will keep doors open and lights on at organisations that might otherwise have faced closure, unlocking opportunities for millions who have felt excluded for too long.
The £1.5 billion will be invested over the course of the current parliament, building on £270 million already allocated through the Arts Everywhere Fund last year. Together, the commitments will take total capital investment between 2025 and 2030 to the full £1.5 billion.
The breakdown includes £760 million for museums, with £600 million directed towards national institutions and DCMS-sponsored bodies to address critical works and support nationwide sharing of collections. A further £160 million will support local and regional museums through the Museum Estates and Development Fund and a new Museum Transformation programme aimed at long-term sustainability.
Arts venues will receive £425 million through the Creative Foundations Fund, supporting around 300 capital projects across the country. Heritage buildings are allocated £230 million, including funding for at-risk sites, community-led revival projects, and a new £92 million Places of Worship Renewal Fund, which replaces the existing Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and aligns religious heritage with other protected sites.
Libraries are also included, with £27.5 million committed to upgrading buildings and technology. In comparison, £80 million in capital funding over four years will support Arts Council England’s National Portfolio organisations as part of a wider uplift.
The cultural sector currently supports around 700,000 jobs nationwide, and the Government says the package will help secure employment for years to come.
Artists have broadly welcomed the announcement. Antony Gormley described the funding as a meaningful signal of support for the arts. At the same time, Grayson Perry noted that the Investment should make culture more accessible to people across the country.
Whether the funding delivers lasting change will depend on how it is distributed and sustained. But for a sector long accustomed to emergency appeals and patchwork fixes, the scale of the commitment marks a notable shift in tone and ambition.
Photo: Bradford 2025 © Artlyst