Tuesday June 24th 2025
Plans for the new Dunard Centre in St Andrew Square
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Dunard Centre’s new ‘Hall for All’ that’s being built in Edinburgh’s St Andrew’s has received a $1 million grant from philanthropic fund, Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The Dunard Centre is a new 1000 seater music venue built in the heart of Edinburgh. Already supported by Royal Bank of Scotland, the centre has just received a large grant from the US organisation. Carnegie Corproration of New York made the donation to help progress towards the ‘design and programming’ of the concert hall.
Work to build the hall is set to start this summer and will be the first major new city centre concert venue in more than a century, opening in 2029.
Despite delays to the construction, Carnegie Corporations grant will ensure the plans for the venue will go ahead. The corporation, established in 1911, is led by former chancellor of the University of Oxford and former principal and vice-chancellor of the University of St Andrews Dame Louise Richardson and between 2023 and 2024 awarded grants totalling to $174 million.
Alongside the $1 million grant, the Dunard Centre has received £25 million in public investment through Edinburgh’s Cuty Region Deal, £80 million in private donations and £35 million from philanthropist Carol Colburn Grigor’s Dunard Fund.
Dunard Centre’s Chief Executive, Jo Buckley, explained, “We are hugely grateful for this grant, which recognises boht the global significance of the Dunard Centre and the role it will play in enriching the lives of local people, by givingbthem access to the arts. The money will help us develop and advance our engagement strategy, which is a vital element of our mission to create a ‘Hall for All’ here in Edinburgh.”
With construction to begin in the summer, a commissioned report by the centre revealed the economic and social impact the new venue will deliver. The centre is projected to generate £169.4 million in gross value in its first 20 years, supporting nearly 300 jobs. It is also estimated that the venue will receive an average of 200,00 visitors annually and will increase tourism spending in Edinburgh and surrounding areas by £8.6 million.
The grant will benefit the Dunard Centre’s social engagement plans with ambitions to become a UK culture sector leader, increasing access to the arts by creating engagement with undeserved groups. So far, 17,000 people are expected to benefit from the Dunard Centre’s community engagement plans each year, providing people with new opportunities and skills.
Jo Buckley stated, “With a focus on supporting civic participation and socioeconomic mobility, we intend to build trusted relationships, design thoughtful creative engagement programmes, and establish the team that will bring this work to life when we open our doors in 2029.”
Despite the new venue opening in 4 years, grants such as Carnegie Corporation of New York’s, will ensure the world class venue in the heart of Edinburgh will be able to provide a venue to the public alongside community driven projects to encourage and support the arts.
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