Thanks to Government funding, Arts Council England is announcing awards totalling over £24.2 million from its Capital Investment Programme to be shared between 67 cultural organisations across the country.

An investment of £3,238,499 has been awarded to seven organisations in the West Midlands.

People in Birmingham will benefit from funding awarded to ACE Dance & Music to create a new studio and performance space as well as funding awarded to Grosvenor Road Studios to update their building and recording technologies. In the Black Country, Stourbridge Glass Museum will use funding to increase energy efficiency, improve digital systems and create a new outdoor glass-blowing space. Communities in Stoke-on-Trent will benefit from funding awarded to The Portland Inn Project to complete the renovation and transformation of their building, whilst the New Vic Theatre will use funding to increase energy efficiency. Hereford Museum Service will use money awarded towards a comprehensive redevelopment of Hereford Museum and Art Gallery, and, in Warwickshire, the RSC has been awarded funding for a major update to lighting at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

All details on the funded projects in the West Midlands can be found in the notes to editors below.

In its second round, the Capital Investment Programme will again deliver grants from £100,000 to £750,000 to provide much needed financial assistance to invest in equipment, digital infrastructure and technology; to acquire and adapt buildings for cultural use; and to extend and upgrade existing spaces. The programme supports the Arts Council’s mission to ensure communities across the country have the infrastructure where creativity for everyone can thrive.

By improving access, enhancing the environmental performance of buildings, vehicles and equipment, and increasing technological capability to produce, distribute and exhibit cultural content, these projects will help secure the creative future of towns, villages and communities across the West Midlands, including in places where cultural investment has previously been too low.

For more information, visit: artscouncil.org.uk