Project Grants for Museum and Collections Projects

Whilst your Museum or Heritage organisation may not have considered the recent Emergency and Recovery funding suitable, or a good fit, it is really worth taking a moment to revisit the relaunched Arts Council Project Grants. Changes to Arts Council Project Grants made in July, along with a new Information Sheet provide further guidance on how your project may fit this funding.

Read the Information Sheet for Museum and Collections Projects. 

Jump to page 5 for a long list of all the types of projects that your museum could secure funding to deliver. Examples include purchase costs for display cases, commemorative projects, digital and conservation and more.

Arts Council will prioritise applications from:

  • independent organisations and individuals, and
  • projects from communities most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,  social injustice or wider economic repercussions

Before delving into the Guidance Paperwork, we suggest you watch Graeme Calvert, Senior Officer at Arts Council who provides a useful introduction to the changes and what’s involved in this 7 minute video on YouTube.

The main changes include:

  • Temporarily removing the requirement for 10% match funding – you won’t be disadvantaged if you can’t provide it
  • You should still include ‘support in-kind’ values if you receive reduced costs or free include services or goods that support your project
  • Whilst Covid-19 is preventing most face to face activity, you can ask for funding to think through new approaches and to plan your next steps
  • Covid-19 may have highlighted opportunities for new partnerships, business development and planning or digital approaches, all of which are relevant for this funding

Other key points:

  • Project Grants cannot fund loss of earnings, but can fund the time in wages, fees, contractors or freelancers, involved in the project delivery
  • You must provide evidence that what you’re asking for funding for meets government guidelines and keeps everyone involved safe
  • Your project may include the associated costs for meeting these government guidelines, so don’t consider this a barrier to your proposal
  • Applications are assessed on a rolling basis – so no deadlines,
  • If unsuccessful, you are able to reapply

Contact your Museum Development Officer (MDO) to discuss your ideas for an application or contact Arts Council direct on [email protected]