First grants awarded through ACE’s Ambition for Excellence fund

The first grants awarded through an Arts Council England (ACE) fund that aims to “grow and develop talent and leadership in the regions” will support two new national hubs in the capital. Two London-based organisations are set to receive £800k of the £1.1m awarded through the new £35.2m ‘Ambition for Excellence’ fund.  

London’s Urban Development receives £350k to establish a new national youth music organisation and centre of excellence in commercial and urban music, while Tricycle Theatre, also based in London, receives £450k to create a national hub for Black Asian and minority ethnic talent and to stage major co-productions with theatres in the regions. Speaking about the award, Joyce Wilson, ACE’s London area Director, said: “Tricycle will pool expertise from across the country to develop a new generation of diverse artistic leaders, with significant impact for artists, audiences and the wider cultural landscape.”

Bristol-based Situations has also been awarded funding. It will use its £300k to create a cross-artform story told through “public artworks, sound and theatre” over the course of nine days in 2017. The project will commence development in January 2016.

The Ambition for Excellence fund is aimed at “stimulating and supporting ambition, talent and excellence” across the country and “especially outside London”. ACE has earmarked 80-90% of the £35m fund for organisations outside of London, to deliver its aim of spending a minimum of 75% of lottery funding outside the capital between 2015- 2018.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said: “We’re confident that these exciting awards will be the first of many to nurture and support diverse talent and leadership, and to deliver the highest quality new work for audiences across England.

“All three will create long term change, in practice, in places and with people, and they’ll create great art that changes people’s lives.”