London venues win funding

London cultural venues, museums and libraries are sharing £30 million in new government-backed awards, with the Southbank Centre taking the biggest London grant at £10 million. (gov.uk, southbankcentre.co.uk) The national package totals £127.8 million for 130 organisations in England and was announced on April 14, 2026 as the first round from the government’s £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund. Arts Council England is administering the money for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (gov.uk, artscouncil.org.uk) In London, the Southbank Centre’s £10 million award will pay for repairs at the Grade I listed Royal Festival Hall, including replacement of original single-glazed windows, a new flat roof to stop water damage, and upgraded auditorium rigging. Southbank Centre said the work is meant to keep the hall operating and cut its carbon footprint. (southbankcentre.co.uk) Other named London recipients include the Royal Ballet and Opera with £5 million, Theatre Royal Stratford East with £1.75 million, the London Transport Museum with nearly £1 million, and the Museum of the Order of St John with £413,015. Time Out and local reporting also listed Lyric Hammersmith, Rich Mix, Shoreditch Town Hall, Kiln Theatre, English National Opera and Electric Ballroom among the capital’s beneficiaries. (timeout.com, gov.uk, ianvisits.co.uk) The money is split across three capital funds with different jobs. The Creative Foundations Fund is putting £96 million into 74 arts venues, the Museum Estate and Development Fund is sending £25.5 million to 28 museums, and the Libraries Improvement Fund is allocating £6.3 million to 28 library services. (gov.uk, artscouncil.org.uk) Arts Council England says these capital programmes cover buildings, equipment, digital infrastructure and technology, with the aim of making organisations more viable over the long term. Its guidance for the Creative Foundations Fund says projects can include restoring, retrofitting or renewing cultural assets, including urgent work that stops organisations serving the public properly. (artscouncil.org.uk, artscouncil.org.uk) The library awards show how broad the London round is. Barking and Dagenham said its £300,000 grant will create “Digital Physical Activity Hubs” in six libraries, while separate London library projects include work in Havering, Ealing, Greenwich, Harrow and Camden. (lbbd.gov.uk, timeout.com, ianvisits.co.uk) The government tied the awards to access as well as repairs. Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said on April 14 that the grants would help venues “complete much needed building projects and upgrade technology on site” and give families “welcoming, affordable spaces” as living costs stay high. (gov.uk) For London, the immediate effect is less about new buildings than about fixing old ones: leaking roofs, ageing systems, poor access and outdated kit. The next step is delivery, with venues now turning grant announcements into construction work, refurbishments and programming upgrades across the city. (southbankcentre.co.uk, artscouncil.org.uk, timeout.com)