Museum Renewal Fund

Museum Renewal Fund is sponsored by Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Supports regional and local museums in England to safeguard access to collections and invest in upgrading services.

Millions of people to benefit from £20 million to keep local museums open and thriving - GOV.UK Millions of people to benefit from £20 million to keep local museums open and thriving £20 million investment in civic museums to protect opening hours and jobs, as part of the government’s ongoing commitment to ensure museums can continue to tell our national story at a local level Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Baroness Twycross Birmingham Museums Trust, Barnsley Museums and Discover Bucks Museum are among 75 museum organisations set to receive grants to help keep cherished civic museums open and engaging The Museum Renewal Fund delivers on the government’s Plan for Change commitment to ensure communities can access culture locally Millions of people across England will be able to continue to celebrate their local heritage thanks to the government’s £20 million Museum Renewal Fund.

The funding will be shared between 75 civic museums, including Birmingham Museums Trust, Barnsley Museums and Discover Bucks Museum. It will improve public access to collections, protect community and educational programmes, and help to ensure treasured local and regional museums are fit for the future.

The fund strengthens our nationwide network of museums, ensuring that local communities have access to culture for generations to come whilst being able to take pride in how their towns and villages have played a role in our national story.

It will protect opening hours and job opportunities for millions of visitors and local communities, whilst strengthening museums’ ability to attract tourists and employers to regions across the country. The Museum Renewal Fund is part of the £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund, announced by the Culture Secretary in February 2025 as part of the government’s Plan for Change to support economic growth and increase opportunities nationwide.

Museums Minister, Baroness Twycross said: Museums offer a place where people from all backgrounds can learn, be inspired and delve into our rich history, helping to understand the stories that led us to where we are today. The Museum Renewal Fund is contributing to the delivery of our Plan for Change.

It ensures much-loved civic museums can remain open and continue to provide opportunities for future generations to learn about our shared heritage and how their local community has played its part in our national story. Yesterday, the Museums Minister Baroness Twycross visited The Culture Trust, Luton to see first-hand the impact £530,528 in funding will have on museum services in Luton.

She met with local representatives to discuss how the investment will keep Luton’s museums open and create content for and with communities. The funding will enable the Trust to expand its outreach efforts, and improve public access to collections, benefiting Luton’s diverse communities, learners, and volunteers through maintaining staffing levels and continued education and community initiatives.

Other examples of funded projects include: Birmingham Museums Trust will receive more than £994,742 to deliver family-friendly and community-centered exhibitions, including its summer family show ‘Giants’, and its pop-up tribute to local hero Ozzy Osbourne.

Funding will improve access to significant collections during museum renovation, including four Arts Council England Designated Collections, the Staffordshire Hoard, and one of the world’s greatest collections of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.

Barnsley Museums will receive £266,273 to support opening hours, public programming and employment across its five free-to-visit sites, including Experience Barnsley and the Grade II* listed Cannon Hall. Funding will protect the museum’s community-focused exhibitions, award-winning Learning programmes, and its Museums and Schools scheme, which leads South Yorkshire efforts to get more children visiting museums for the first time.

It will also support commercial enhancements and masterplanning reviews to bolster long-term financial resilience. Discover Bucks Museum will receive £314, 000 to secure the museum’s future and continue telling Buckinghamshire’s local heritage story and displaying its stunning archaeological finds.

The funding will improve audience reach and engagement, building on strong community connections including the dedicated Community Advisory Group and Bucks Black History Museum Group. It will also improve signage and user experience alongside progressing options for redeveloping the children’s gallery.

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England said: Travelling through cities, towns, and villages across the UK, I have seen that museums and art galleries are often a proud focal point in communities, telling important stories about history, people and place. This funding will provide a crucial lifeline for local museums in stabilising their financial situation and building towards a sustainable future.

” Full list of recipients receiving a share of the fund: Headstone Manor & Museum - £419,420 Gunnersbury Park Museum - £147,309 Richmond Arts Service - £117,354 Brent Museum and Archives - £121,851 Haringey Council - £60,400 Culture Coventry - £384,390 Museum of Royal Worcester CIO - £228,343 Birmingham Museums Trust - £994,742 Shropshire Council - £226,238 Ford Green Hall Museum - £34,369 Tamworth Borough Council - £139,120 Warwickshire County Council - £37,690 Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum - £239,922 Derbyshire County Council Museums Service - £72,000 Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust - £42,019 The Village Church Farm Museum - £14,085 Sunderland City Council - £102,280 The Bowes Museum - £436,181 Middlesbrough Council Cultural Services - £239,551 Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - £438,300 People’s History Museum - £652,157 Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery - £598,775 The World of Glass - £286,000 Keswick Museum & Art Gallery Management Ltd - £217,103 Manchester City Galleries - £74,184 Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre - £67,600 Lancaster City Museums - £40,500 The Norton Priory Museum Trust - £52,000 Vale and Downland Museum - £53,190 Windsor and Royal Borough Museum - £65,895 Museum of Oxford, Oxford City Council - £227,952 Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust - £533,084 Bucks County Museum - £314, 000 Wycombe Museum - £104,318 Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust - £881,848 The Banbury Museum Trust - £131,957 Maidstone Museums - £75,000 Exeter City Council - £114,202 Wiltshire Museum - £11,077 Bristol Museums - £495,320 Weymouth Museum Trust - £43,725 The Box (Plymouth City Council) - £184,215 South West Heritage Trust - £503,131 Bridport Museum Trust - £29,218 Dean Heritage Centre - £58,285 Trowbridge Town Council - £25,000 BCP Council (Poole Museums) - £376,500 Museum of Gloucester - £360,378 Burton Art Gallery and Museum - £161,570 King John’s House and Tudor Cottage Trust Ltd - £106,000 Hampshire Cultural Trust - £1,177,430 The Culture Trust, Luton - £530,528 Norfolk Museums Service - £360,000 Chelmsford City Council - £236,297 Ware Museum CIO - £58,337 Southend Museum Service - £39,794 The Cromwell Museum - £240,300 Peterborough City Council - £168,000 Colchester Borough Council - £126,200 The Food Museum Ltd - £351,112 St Albans Museums - £85,000 Yorkshire and the Humber: Hull Culture and Leisure - £272,095 Sheffield Museums Trust - £708,064 Bradford Museums and Galleries - £125,000 Wakefield Museums & Pontefract Castle - £82,807 York Museums Trust - £1,000,000 Leeds Museums and Galleries - £952,000 Ilkley Manor House Trust - £16,782 Barnsley Museum - £266,273 Doncaster Heritage Services - £116,000 The following links open in a new tab No this page is not useful Thank you for your feedback Report a problem with this page Do not include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

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