GRANTS totalling nearly £400,000 have been awarded to three arts organisations in Bradford to help put them on a sounder financial footing.

Arts Council England is to give £149,647 to the organisers of the Bradford Literature Festival, the city’s Impressions Gallery is in line for £113,810 and theatre company Freedom Studios will get £120,000.

The cash will come from a new Catalyst Evolve fund, designed to help arts organisations develop more sustainable funding models and unlock investment from the private sector as public sector grants shrink.

Much of the grant money will be match-funding for any donations or public-sector investment the organisations secure over the next three years.

The first Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) was held last year and this year’s event attracted almost 32,000 visitors. Culture Squared, which runs the festival, has already begun planning the 2017 event.

Director Syima Aslam said she was delighted.

“The decision to fund ourselves, together with Impressions Gallery and Freedom Studios, is a tremendous sign of the commitment that Arts Council England have to creating a vibrant cultural economy and a step change in the cultural landscape of both Bradford and the North," she said.

“This funding will enable BLF to widen and strengthen our funding base, and also to invest in the organisation thus ensuring a sustainable literature festival for Bradford.”

Anne McNeill, director of the Impressions Gallery, in City Park, said the funding had the potential to be a “game-changer” for the gallery.

She said around £30,000 would be spent on organisational development to boost fundraising abilities, while the rest of the money would be match-funding unlocked by the donations they secured.

"This is just a massive opportunity if we can get it right," she added.

A spokesman for Manor Row-based Freedom Studios said they were thrilled to be awarded the grant.

“The money will go towards making Freedom Studios an even more sustainable and resilient company, a strong and proud part of Bradford," she said.

“We will be working to support some brilliant productions for the people of Bradford and beyond.

“Even more importantly we will be looking to develop our relationships and connections with all the people of Bradford.”