Museums are wonderful places that offer huge value to the people and communities that they serve. From the largest city museum to the smallest village museum, they are all incredible in their own way. They provide us with access to amazing collections and unique cultural experiences – experiences that help us understand our collective history, our vibrant range of cultures and expand our life-long learning.  

I think of my own local museums; I can see dinosaur skeletons and fossils excavated in Leicestershire itself, and paintings collected by the curators who lived here. There is militaria from our local regiment, heirlooms of Leicester’s industrial heritage, and even Picasso ceramics given to the city by Sir Richard Attenborough. 

The breadth of collections, stories and wonderful experiences is repeated right across the country. So, when something offers so much to the places it serves, it’s important and right that we support it where we can when times become more challenging.  

Things are tough for museums right now. Rises in energy costs, national insurance and the national living wage, as well as decreased visitor spending caused by the cost of living, are all putting a squeeze on budgets. On top of this, levels of local authority investment in museums and galleries is 37% lower than in 2010. 

The museums directly maintained or supported by local authority funding hold diverse collections – each a doorway to a new story or experience. Many of these collections are Designated for their quality and significance alone. Each visit to collections proudly telling the stories of shipbuilders in Newcastle, or footwear manufacturers in Northampton, weaves together our local and national story and brings our shared cultural heritage to every corner of the country.  

But sadly, the current financial reality for museums is putting this at risk. I receive regular reports from museums who tell me they are facing these challenges and are concerned they may have to reduce staff numbers, operating budgets, opening hours or even see removal of public access to collections altogether. 

That’s where the Museum Renewal Fund comes in. This is a brand new £20million fund from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and administered by the Arts Council for museums owned and directly maintained by local authority funding, or with a governance link to a local authority. 

Launching today (9 April), the Museum Renewal Fund supports grants of between £10,000 and £1million for museums to do a range of activities aiming to increase financial resilience, maintain public access to culture, and protect employment hours. In short, to keep them doing what they do best – giving communities across the country access to cherished culture and heritage  

You can find out more about the Museum Renewal Fund on our dedicated webpage. Applications close at 12:00pm on 22 May 2025. If you have any questions about the fund, please get in touch. 

I will finish with the words of Secretary of State, Lisa Nandy MP, in her 20 February Jennie Lee speech. 

‘Our critical, local, civic museums - places which are often cultural anchors in their village, town or city…. and are facing acute financial pressures and need our backing….’ 

The Museum Renewal Fund represents just that and we encourage eligible museums to apply. 

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/blog/museum-renewal-fund-supporting-museums-through-challenging-times