WIREDGOV

A major investment of over £8.94 million to strengthen Wales iconic museums, archives, libraries and cultural institutions has been announced today to grow and bolster the nation’s “essential” cultural foundations.

The Welsh Government has already increased its spend for the broader culture sector by 8.5% this year and tripled investment in venues and sites compared to a decade ago.

Today’s announcement builds upon £11 million in capital grants already awarded over the past six months since launching its Priorities for Culture, alongside targeted initiatives supporting young people's access to cultural experiences.

The investment includes:

• £1.9 million for 15 projects that will help build capacity in local museums, archives and library services through additional specialist expertise including curators, librarians and archivists. Projects receiving funding will ensure improvements to public access, digitise local history collections and use technology and outreach to deepen community engagement.
• Almost £2.2 million for the Arts Council of Wales’ Strategic Capital Investment Fund, supporting capital improvements to arts buildings, venues and equipment. The fund has already supported 40 projects including Wales Millennium Centre, Sherman Theatre, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Torch Theatre.
• £767,000 for the Welsh National Opera, via Arts Council of Wales, to support the ongoing work towards financial sustainability of this nationally significant organisation and enabling its vision for a sustainable and positive future to be realised.
• £250,000 for the renowned National Botanic Garden of Wales to support a range of projects to improve sustainability and the visitor experience, including support to restore the Great Glass House and its collections.
• £2 million for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Wales’ only higher education provider delivering conservatoire performing arts training, to safeguard its future and ensure the continuation of a high-quality performance-based music and drama provision.
• £1.87 million for the redevelopment of Theatr Clwyd to support asbestos discovery and quality furniture and equipment (subject to conditions). This takes the total Welsh Government investment in the project to £25.37 million since 2022-23.

Today’s announcements follow on from £5 million of funding committed last week for sporting facilities and projects, such as for the Urdd’s swimming pool at Llangrannog and significant support for women’s football and golf.

A further £2.5 million for the creative sector was also announced earlier this month, building on the creative-specific British-Irish Council Summit held at the same time.

Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant, said:

This is another significant investment in Welsh cultural institutions and reaffirms my belief that our museums, archives and libraries are not optional extras but essential cultural foundations. These projects will not only improve access to museums, archives and libraries but will foster collaboration, preserve local history and strengthen engagement, learning and participation across communities.

This £8.94 million investment will provides vital capacity for a sector that has been clear about the pressures it faces, whilst giving the support required to deliver our shared priorities and ambitions within the Priorities for Culture.

Dafydd Rhys, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Wales said:

We welcome Welsh Government’s increased investment in the arts sector, with enhanced capital funding, as well as additional support for Welsh National Opera and the exciting major development at Theatr Clwyd. This commitment will bring lasting benefits to communities across Wales, and we look forward to continuing our work with the arts sector to ensure inspiring, high-quality arts experiences are available throughout Wales.

The support for local museums, archives and libraries services will also include a further £900,000 in grant funding, available for allocation until autumn 2026.