The Government has announced that selected museums and galleries across England will be able to apply for funding to improve exhibition spaces and increase accessibility in early May 2022.

The Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund is financed equally by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Wolfson Foundation. Over the last 20 years, the two organisations have provided more than £48 million to more than 400 museums so they can improve displays, enhance collections care and make exhibitions more accessible to visitors.

A total of £4 million will be available for the 2022/24 round. Grants of up to a maximum £300,000 are available. Funding sought must be no more than 75% of the total eligible project cost, where the total project cost does not include VAT and other prohibited costs.

This year, the funding is for projects that meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Material improvements to the display and interpretation of collections, in permanent galleries, exhibition spaces and public spaces, to enhance visitor experience.
• Improvements to access and/or interpretation for visitors with disabilities.
• Improvements to environmental controls, collections storage and conservation facilities to enhance the care of collections.

All projects are expected to be environmentally sustainable and to have environmental considerations embedded in their planning.

The Fund is open to bids from museums, museum services and galleries in England falling into one of three categories:

• Museums/museums services and universities with Designated collections.
• Accredited museums/museum services that are or have been members of an Arts Council England development scheme (National Portfolio Organisations; Major Partner Museums; Renaissance).
• Museums and galleries sponsored by DCMS.

A full list of eligible institutions can be found at the end of the online guidance notes, available on GOV.UK. The full guidance notes will be published before 9 May 2022, when the scheme is expected to open for applications.

Commenting on the fund, Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

“This is a brilliant example of what can be achieved when public funding and private philanthropy come together. I encourage organisations from every part of the country to apply so we can support even more museums and galleries to make sure everyone has access to the incredible benefits of art and culture.”

Applications will be accepted from 9 May to 1 August 2022, with funding decisions expected in Autumn 2022.

 

How To Apply

Applications for the new round will be open from 9 May to 1 August 2022, with funding decisions expected in Autumn 2022.

Full application guidance and the bid pro forma will be available no later than 9 May 2022.

Informal enquiries can be made before 9 May 2022 by sending an email to Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The online guidance notes can be found on the GOV.UK website.