Lord Mayor strikes partnership to raise funds for York’s culture and arts sector

The Lord Mayor has teamed up with a leading charity to raise funds for York’s hard-hit arts sector.

Lord Mayor of York Cllr Janet Looker and the Two Ridings Community Foundation have formed a partnership focusing on the regeneration of the culture and arts.

This will replace the usual annual fundraising committee. The joint work will focus on helping York organisations and individuals by making grants of up to £5,000 within two categories:

• children and young people, and
• community arts.

Cllr Looker said: “I look forward to working with the Two Ridings Community Foundation to ensure that awards will be made where the need is greatest, attempting to encourage educational and cultural opportunities for our young people and to promote cultural activity in York. 

“We acknowledge there may be difficulties attracting charitable funds this year due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“However we recognise the importance and value of supporting York’s young people and investing in community arts, and will use this civic year to help build back a better York.”

Support grassroots groups

Two Ridings Community Foundation is a grant-making charity that supports North and East Yorkshire, York and Hull.

Two Ridings has distributed more than £8 million to over 3,000 projects across the area, and has raised a further £4 million for the long-term benefit of local communities.   

Isabelle Clough, philanthropy associate at Two Ridings Community Foundation, said: “It is an honour to be working with the Lord Mayor of York and we look forward to receiving applications for grants that will provide the long term help that will support not only the young people but also the art and cultural side of York.

“Two Ridings’ core purpose is to support the grassroots groups that do so much good in our communities so it seemed totally right that we focus on finding ways to support them now in the wake of coronavirus.”

The Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Janet Looker and the Civic Party, will stay in position for a second term because of the pandemic, and will continue as caretaker and the first resident of York for another year.