Arts Council England has pledged an extra £44.5 million to artists and organisations to offset the impact of the recession.

Boss Dame Liz Forgan revealed the measures in a speech at an Arts Council-sponsored seminar in London.

"We cannot protect artists from the realities of recession," she said.

"But we can be as imaginative, open and useful as possible in our efforts to get us through this with minimal damage to the creative life of this country."

Arts Council England distributes public money from the Government and the National Lottery.

Its new initiatives include Sustain, a £40 million open application fund for arts organisations suffering due to the economic problems.

Additional funds

There will also be additional support for individual artists and smaller arts organisations through the Arts Council's existing Grants for the arts programme.

Its 2009/10 budget will be increased from £52m to £54m, rising again in 2010/11 to £56m.

These additional funds will be available to individuals and organisations that do not qualify for a Sustain grant.

Dame Liz called for public and private funders alike to maintain their levels of investment in the arts.

She also called on artists to see themselves as a key part of the solution to the recession.

"The real challenge for the arts sector is not to ask 'What is the Government going to do to help us?' but 'What can we do to help the country weather and recover from this downturn?'" she said.

"Showing that we can make a real contribution in even the most difficult of times will be the best case we can make for continued public investment in the arts."