BAME groups among recipients of £600,000 Andrew Lloyd Webber grants
(© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage)
17 projects have been awarded grants in the latest round of funding from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation.
Over £600,000 has been awarded as part of the foundation's efforts to support projects that focus on the enhancement of arts education and participation, and diversity in the arts.
Following Lloyd Webber's recent diversity report which claimed that the British theatre industry was 'hideously white', this year's funding has a particular emphasis on BAME groups and communities. Recipients including Creative Access, Hoxton Hall Trust, Tara Arts Theatre and Rifco will each use their grants to support traineeships and career development programmes.
Elsewhere, Frantic Assembly has been awarded a grant for its Ignition programme which works to encourage greater engagement from young men aged 16-20. Other organisations to receive grants include Arts Insight, Awards for Young Musicians, Furthering Talent, Beatroute Arts, The BRIT School, CLIC Sargent, Crisis UK, Denbighshire Music Co-operative, Live Music Now, Malvern Theatre, MOLA and Scottish Civic Trust.
Madeleine Lloyd Webber, lead Trustee of the foundation, said: "Recognising the importance of equipping artists from all backgrounds with skills, experience and support is vital in order to achieve diversity and accessibility across all levels of the sector.
"From trainee schemes for young people to career development programmes for mid-career artists, I am thrilled the foundation is able to support so many projects for individuals with limited access to the arts and from BAME backgrounds."
Andrew Lloyd Webber set up the foundation in 1992 to promote the arts, culture and heritage for the public benefit. It's grant giving programme began in 2010 and has since awarded over £16,000,000 of funding. Significant grants include £3,500,000 to Arts Educational Schools, £2,400,000 to The Music in Secondary Schools Trust, and over £350,000 annually to fund 30 performing arts scholarships for talented students in financial need.
