Dorchester Arts and Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum will benefit from funding support, thanks to Dorset Council

From April 1, the organisations will be supported with a three-year funding agreement courtesy of the council's new Organisational Revenue Support Fund.

Dorchester Arts has been awarded £20,000 and Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum has received £10,000.

In November, the council launched a new grant application process for cultural organisations to gain revenue support.

The Organisational Revenue Support Fund is the first of three new rounds of discretionary and project funds being brought in as the council streamlines its approach to funding following local government reorganisation in Dorset.

Following a cabinet report, 'Grants to Voluntary Community Sector', it was recommended Dorset County Museum would receive an initial one-year extension of revenue funding of £78,994. This will be from April 1,2021 to March 31, 2022, whilst Dorset Council undertakes a full review of its assets and buildings, and to allow for these to form part of the wider review.

Councillor Jill Haynes, Dorset Council portfolio holder for customer and community services, said: "I'm delighted Dorset Council is able to offer this support to the county's cultural and community organisations, despite pressure on our budgets, as we know they play such a key part in the health, wellbeing and learning of so many people.

"We know that Arts Council England invests £2.5million revenue funding into Dorset's arts and cultural organisations and one of the reasons they do this is because Dorset Council continues to invest in the cultural sector."

The new fund has a grant budget of £279,000 and a substantial number of museums, heritage and arts organisations submitted applications totalling £759,000.

The grant panel assessed the applications and recipients were informed of the outcome before Christmas.

Applications were assessed against how organisations delivered economic and social outcomes aligned to the council's priorities listed in the Dorset Council Plan.

You can submit your own news straight to Dorchester Nub News by using the 'Nub It' button on our home page. This can also be done for events on our What's On page and businesses, groups and organisations on our Local Listings page , also by using the 'Nub It' button.

Please like and follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us @DorchesterNubNews on Facebook and @DorchesterNub Twitter.