Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities is a new capacity-building programme for the theatre sector. The project aims to enrich the knowledge, skills and confidence of the cultural heritage sector, specifically, communities considering or already taking over a theatre building, thereby reducing the threat to ‘at risk’ theatres and leading to greater sector resilience.
Theatres Trust are now launching the first round of their grant programme to support Theatres at Risk, generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Swire Charitable Trust and the Pilgrim Trust.
This grant is for applications from £5,000 up to a maximum of £20,000 (although it is likely the majority of grant awards will be up to around £10,000).
The programme aims to achieve progress with the restoration, reopening or revitalising those theatres on Theatres Trust’s Theatres at Risk Register through funding towards commissioning expert support.
This grants programme is open to those theatres on the Theatres at Risk Register, and the community and campaign groups that support them. Local authorities who are currently involved in projects to support their local Theatre at Risk or who have clear plans and ambitions to progress such a project are also eligible for funding.
This is not a fund that will support the capital works themselves but is intended to support the groups working with the buildings to acquire the skills and knowledge to push the project forwards.
The type of support that might be funded includes:
- Viability studies and options appraisals
- Building condition surveys and structural reports
- Business planning and fundraising strategies
- Economic impact studies
- Governance reviews
- Heritage statements
- Audience development plans
- Archival research or collecting people’s memories (oral history collection) or ephemera related to the theatre
- Theatres Trust will work closely with the successful applicants to develop the project proposal, assist the group to select experts, attend key meetings and monitor the outcomes.
Deadline: 12 noon Friday 10 February 2023