Committee publication · Correspondence · 28 January 2026
Letter from Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, regarding arts and culture investment, 22 January 2026
From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Inquiry: The work of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Summary
Secretary of State Lisa Nandy announces a £1.5 billion capital investment in arts and culture over the parliamentary term, including £1.2 billion in new funding. The package funds 1,000+ projects via the Creative Foundations Fund, national institutions, regional museums, libraries, and heritage. Investment is conditional: government expects cultural organisations to diversify audiences, reflect communities, and spread excellence beyond concentrated postcodes.
Key findings
- £1.5 billion total capital investment for arts and culture (£1.2bn new funding), largest generational investment of its kind
- Up to £425 million Creative Foundations Fund for revitalising arts buildings; £600 million for national institutions (British Museum, British Library, BFI); £160 million for local/regional museums
- £27.5 million Libraries Improvement Fund and £230 million heritage protection package, including new Places of Worship Renewal Fund; Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme closes end March 2026
- £80 million capital funding for National Portfolio Investment Programme enabling Arts Council England to give ~1,000 cultural organisations 5% uplift in 2026/27 — largest Portfolio uplift in decades
- Investment framed as conditional: government expects cultural organisations to reach diverse audiences, reflect communities served, and disperse excellence geographically beyond concentrated postcodes
Tone
SupportiveTopics
Key actors
Lisa Nandy MP, Caroline Dinenage MP, Baroness Hodge of Barking DBE, Arts Council England, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Notable line
“Arts and culture are not a luxury. They are central to our national life, our identity, and our sense of belonging.”
Key Quotes
“Arts and culture are not a luxury. They are central to our national life, our identity, and our sense of belonging.”
“We believe that excellent culture belongs to everyone, everywhere, and not just in a handful of cities or institutions, but in every town, city and village in this country.”
“Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will invest £1.5 billion in capital funding for arts and culture - the largest investment of its kind for a generation.”
“This is a decisive break from the short-termism and managed decline of the past.”
“In return, we expect cultural organisations to open their doors wider, reach new and more diverse audiences, reflect the communities they serve …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗