Ilkley Literature Festival, The Bronte Society and Cliffe Castle are all set to benefit from continued Arts Council funding over the next three years.
The organisation today announced the projects it will be funding over the next three years – a period during which the Bradford district will take on the national City of Culture title.
The Arts Council will invest a total of £10,057,302 between 2023 and 2026 in the Bradford district, an increase of 89 per cent.
For the first time Bradford’s Museums and Galleries service will be awarded “portfolio” status – Cliffe Castle Museum will share £381,770 a year with Cartwright Hall, Bolling Hall and Bradford Industrial Museum.
Ilkley Literature Festival will retain its £140,000 a year funding for the next three years.
Haworth-based The Bronte Society, which runs the Bronte Parsonage, retains its portfolio status and £236,778 in annual funding.
Bradford Literature Festival will see a huge leap in funding - from £305,000 to £1,055,000 a year for the next three years. The Arts Council said the extra funding will allow the festival to “realise its ambitions to be an internationally-leading literary festival.” The increase means it will receive more Arts Council money than any other literature festival in the country.
A spokesman for the Arts Council said: “Our investment will help strengthen the foundations of Bradford’s year as City of Culture in 2025.”
Darren Henley, CEO of the Arts Council, added: “This is not a city that is waiting in the wings until its long-deserved time in the spotlight. Bradford hums with creativity and talent every day, with extraordinary cultural heritage woven into its fabric.
“In tough times, this is more important than ever. Our artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries offer comfort, joy and wonders, very often for free. This benefits all of us, our friends and families and the places we live and work. Not only that but investment in culture boosts our economy and leads to more jobs.”
Bradford Council, which runs the museums service, said: “The three-year project will help Bradford Museums and Galleries’ staff develop a deeper understanding of the communities they serve, expand co-creation in developing exhibitions, and improve access to their world class collections insuring that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy high quality art and heritage.”
A spokesperson for the Ilkley Literature Festival said "We are delighted that Arts Council England are continuing to invest in us as one of their National Portfolio Organisations 2023-2026.
"This enables us to continue evolving the organisation into a literature development agency that will support communities and individuals, especially young people, and nurture new and diverse writing talent. The annual autumn festival, which celebrates its 50th birthday in 2023, continues to form part of this literature development.
"A huge thank you to Arts Council England for their continued faith in, and contribution to, our work."
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