Fundraising

London’s Vagina Museum will reopen on 4 November after a successful fundraising drive.

The museum was forced to close its doors in February after its property guardianship ended.

It has relocated to multi-storey premises in Bethnal Green after surpassing an £85,000 fundraising target with donations from more than 2,500 people.

Its new home features three gallery spaces. The ground floor will house temporary exhibitions, while a pair of upstairs galleries will feature a permanent exhibition and community gallery.

When the museum reopens, initially only the ground floor will be accessible as lift access is not yet available.

The museum’s Head of Communications, Zoe Williams, told The Guardian fundraising efforts had been a “make or break scenario”.

“We genuinely didn’t know how successful it would be, especially in the cost-of-living crisis when so many people in our community are really feeling the pinch. It’s just wonderful.”

A fundraising event staged by fashion magazine Vogue has raised £2m for London-based arts organisations that saw their support cut by Arts Council England (ACE). 

Promoted as an event to "celebrate a mix of opera, dance, theatre and fashion", Vogue said it will donate 100% of net proceeds from ticket sales to 21 arts and cultural organisations in London in the form of grants. 

Those set to receive the grants include the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House, the Royal Ballet, Southbank Sinfonia and the Rambert Dance Company. The funds can be used for anything related to their core mission and objectives.

The recipients comprise three types of organisations, including larger institutions classed as  ‘Vogue World cultural partners’, which helped to produce the event. Donations will also go to organisations that support freelancers and small companies in London that have recently received funding for the first time or had their funding reduced.

In a press release, Vogue said: “In addition to ticket proceeds, Vogue is working with a number of organisations and donors to increase donations to the fund through individual contributions.”

Vogue Editor Anna Wintour previously said the decision to give proceeds from the event mainly to London-based organisations was a response to arts funding being shifted outside the capital for the 2023-26 National Portfolio after ACE was required to reduce funding for London-based organisations by 15%.

“The arts are under threat in the UK, and Vogue World will be a timely reminder of how important they are, how vital a part of our lives, and how much they need our support,” Wintour said.

“The London art scene is so important economically to the city. So many people come to London as tourists to appreciate the art scenes.”

The 37-minute show, held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Thursday night, was directed by Stephen Daldry and included a host of well-known actors and musicians who paid tribute to the importance of the arts.

The Royal Ballet School has launched a digital membership programme to widen access for those wanting to support its operation.

The school is offering memberships of £65 a year - or £45 for Young Members - extending the options for support to young philanthropists or those based overseas.

The new programme is part of a push to raise funds vital to ensuring the organisation’s survival. Funding from the Department of Education has remained at a standstill while running costs have risen, the school said, leaving a shortfall that requires it to raise over £1m in donations annually.

Members and Young Members will be offered exclusive behind-the-scenes access to ballet classes via Zoom, a bi-monthly newsletter with photos, videos and stories, and discounts on Royal Ballet School shop and video-on-demand products. 

The funds raised will contribute to the school’s General Fund, which is used to cover the running costs of its studios, facilities and accommodation, to fund healthcare provision, to pay salaries and to maintain its historic buildings.

The Vagina Museum has exceeded a fundraising target to allow it move into a new premises situated between two railway arches in East London.

According to an online crowdfunder, over 2,400 donations have helped the museum surpass its £85,000 target.

The organisation's director, Florence Schechter, had said the museum would face permanent closure if the target was not reached.

The museum has been homeless since January after being given less than a week to vacate the premises it held for less than a year, causing the museum to operate digitally in the interim.

In an update shared on Twitter, the museum thanked all donors, adding that is had been "really touch and go": "If we didn't reach the target, we would have had to wind up".

"We're busily preparing design and fit-out work for our new home. And we're planning new exhibitions as well as levelling up our permanent exhibition," the statement added.

The fundraiser will remain open until early June, with additional proceeds going towards the musuem "opening its doors in an even stronger and more secure position".

A London charity concert for musicians in need has been hit by a copyright claim from the Performing Rights Society (PRS).

The event held at Cadogan Hall on 1 April was in aid of Help Musicians and starred Dame Evelyn Glennie and BBC Radio 4 announcer Zeb Soanes.

While it mostly consisted of humorous arrangements of out-of-copyright classical pieces, PRS is charging the organisers more than £1,000 for two short pieces by Earl Okin that are still in copyright.

The royalties would amount to nearly half of the charitable earnings from the night. 

The event's organiser, Rainer Hersch, said the move by PRS was “pretty shocking, especially given this concert and the beneficiary, Help Musicians, which is the backstop for freelance musicians in this country”.

Okin, meanwhile, said he does not want the money and that he will donate it to the charity if he receives it.

A PRS spokesperson said: “We are working with the composers whose works were included in the 1 April concert at Cadogan Hall to ensure that they can identify all earnings from this concert.

“From our experience, this makes onward donation simpler for all involved.

“PRS for Music works closely with Help Musicians, including recently co-ordinating efforts to support music creators through the pandemic."

A community arts centre in Manchester has launched a crowdfunding campaign to stay open, warning that it "won't make it through the winter" without financial support

Resident Advisor reports that Niamos, which hosts jam sessions, hip-hop dance lessons, art classes, choir practice and regular club nights has been running the venue located in Hulme, since 2018. 

Originally known as the Hulme Hippodrome and later the Playhouse Theatre, the venue has been open since 1902 proior to being bought and turned into an arts space in 1986, with funding provided by Manchester City Centre and other groups. 

Niamos director Ronnie Walfall said: "We feel it's important to keep the Nia running so that people in the local area, and indeed those from further afield, have something that they can call their own. 

"This amazing theatre has been in regular use for the last four years, hosting performances and workshops, gigs and dance events. Everyone who comes into contact with the Nia is in awe of the beauty of the building. It has so much potential, to lose this great and historical building would be a tragedy."