038/06
23 March 2006
£12 Million for Arts, Culture and Energy Efficiency Projects
A £12 million cash boost for 12 Department for Culture, Media and Sport backed Arts, Culture and energy efficiency projects was welcomed by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.
The funding, announced yesterday in The Budget, from the Treasury's Invest to Save Budget, encourages new and joined-up ways of working by funding projects that develop innovative ideas, bringing together organisations in partnership to deliver more efficient and effective public services.
The successful DCMS projects include a heritage park in Norwich, an arts project in a Swindon housing estate and an ambitious online learning project by a consortium of 10 National Museums, led by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Congratulating the successful projects, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said:
"These innovative projects will test and develop new ways of delivering cultural services and new opportunities for more people to take part in cultural activities. They will show how organisations in the cultural sectors can work with each other and with others in the public, private and voluntary sectors to improve people's access to culture and demonstrate how cultural activity can make an important contribution to education, health, economic development and social cohesion.
"The project led by the Natural History Museum in partnership with other South Kensington cultural and academic institutions also demonstrates strong leadership in the vital area of reducing carbon emissions to protect our environment for future generations."
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Notes to Editors
1. The ISB was created in 1998 to fund projects that bring together two or more public bodies to deliver services in an innovative fashion. It provides a means of investing in partnership projects with the potential for transforming public services. In its first 7 rounds, the ISB has supported over 430 projects across a wide range of partnerships.
2. The priority areas for this round are: - The Third Sector delivering public services - projects that deliver cash releasing efficiencies; - improved energy efficiency in the public sector and third sector bodies; and - efficiency and increased access to the arts and culture sector.
3. Third Sector Organisations delivering public services - projects that deliver cash releasing efficiencies
The aim is to provide funding for new projects in which Third Sector organisations (TSOs) work with Public Sector Bodies to deliver public services. Successful projects will be those that demonstrate that social entrepreneurs are developing innovative approaches in order to realise efficiencies between organisations through strategic alliances and joint working with other TSOs and/or public sector bodies.
4. Access to and efficiency in the arts and culture sector
Applications for the priority area of access to arts and culture were considered from projects in the areas of: - the performing and visual arts; - museums and galleries; - libraries and archives; - the historic and built environment; and - film, moving image and multimedia.
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5. Invest to Save Budget round 8 successful DCMS-sponsored bids
Press Enquiries: 020 7211 6272 Out of hours telephone pager no: 07699 751 153 Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6200 Internet: http://www.culture.gov.uk
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