The National Holocaust Centre and Museum has been awarded £75,000 as part of the British government's £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help the institution face the challenges of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a Wednesday press release from the center. The National Holocaust Centre and Museum is among 1,385 cultural and creative organizations receiving financial aid in order to continue operating. This week, the CRF also announced an investment of £257 million in a first round of grants being provided to numerous institutions, which is being administered by Arts Council England (ACE). Further rounds of financial aid will be announced at a later date. The Centre and Museum prior to the coronavirus pandemic has been accepting up to 800 school children every week, to take part in learning programs, in addition to hearing stories from Holocaust survivors.The grant offered by CRF will be used to ensure continued operations and to enhance its ‘phygital’ operating model, which includes a mix of livestreaming and offline programs that meets the needs of schools in accordance with coronavirus regulations. This will allow school children and adults to still meet Holocaust survivors and learn from their experiences. Likewise, the National Holocaust Centre and Museum was also forced to innovate in light of the pandemic, prompting the development of immersive museum exhibitions such as The Journey, which allows users to navigate generated environments online depicting the life of a German Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Berlin. Following the announcement, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that “This funding is a vital boost for the theaters, music venues, museums and cultural organizations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery. “These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country. This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.” Sir Nicholas Serota, Arts Council England Chair also noted the importance of the grant, saying “Theaters, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages. This life-changing funding will save thousands of cultural spaces loved by local communities and international audiences. Further funding is still to be announced and we are working hard to support our sector during these challenging times.”Marc Cave, CEO of The National Holocaust Centre and Museum, spoke of the grant's importance to the institution, saying the" ACE’s grant not only adds a measure of financial security but will help us create an exciting 2.0 visitor proposition which enhances the experience so much that it will help us to claw back the traditional daily visitor income we have lost to Covid. We are grateful to ACE for its foresight and its empathy with our creative aspirations and commercial needs”.
