Grant News
Arts Council England has announced a new £13.6 million funding programme to help museums across England strengthen their financial resilience and long-term sustainability.
The Museum Transformation Programme builds on the work of the Museum Renewal Fund. It will support local authority museums and museums with a local authority link in addressing long-term pressures and developing more sustainable operating models.
Funding will support longer-term activity, enabling museums to rethink their operations in a range of ways, including:
- Digital transformation: Improving data analytics, digitising collections, or development/improvement of CRM
- Organisational change: Development of cross-functional teams, setting up more dynamic ways of working
- Organisational restructuring: Consolidating priorities, exploring shared spaces, and workforce restructuring
- Income generation and resilience: Diversifying income generation, development of philanthropic giving, exploring alternative finance
- Community and inclusion: Co-curation activities with the local community, development of accessibility-first approaches, and equity-focused interpretation
- Sustainability: Development of sustainable exhibition design, energy efficient systems, collections review
Museums will be able to apply for grants of between £50,000 and £1 million.
The programme is delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Applications open on 1 September 2026 and close on 30 September 2026.
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