Ambitious projects like this really do only come around once in a century. The Dunard Centre will be a landmark venue and a landmark investment in Edinburgh, and its wide-ranging benefits will be felt daily by individuals and communities today, and for generations to come.
Our latest social and economic impact assessment shows that the venue will generate £266.9m in Gross Value Added (GVA) over its construction and first 20 years of operation. Expected to attract 200,000 visitors and support nearly 300 jobs each year, the hall is projected to increase spend in Edinburgh and the surrounding region by £8.6m a year.
Alongside this, around 17,000 people are expected to benefit each year from a far-reaching engagement programme, including skills development programmes, apprenticeships and lifelong learning delivered in partnership with schools, cultural and third sector organisations.
All of this has been made possible by substantial philanthropic donations, as well as vital public investment that’s allowed us to leverage truly exceptional philanthropic giving.
This includes the visionary support of Dunard Fund, a charitable trust based in Edinburgh. Over the past 30 years, it has given grants totalling many millions of pounds to support charities in the arts and heritage sectors. Chaired by Carol Colburn Grigor, the trust particularly supports projects which facilitate the training and performance of classical music at the highest standard. The trust also funds the promotion of education and exhibition of the visual arts, including architecture.
The venue is also underpinned by public support. The Dunard Centre is part of the Edinburgh and South East City Region Deal through which the Scottish and UK Governments have committed £10 million each, alongside £5 million from the City of Edinburgh Council. Most recently, IMPACT’s fundraising was significantly augmented by an additional in-principle pledge of £20 million in funding by First Minister John Swinney, which has been matched pound-for-pound by Dr Carol Colburn Grigor.
Alongside this public funding, we’ve now raised over £100m to date from private philanthropy, setting a new capital funding record for a cultural project in Scotland.
