Arts Council England opens new £20 million fund to support local authority museums. Timetable for MEND Round five also published.
The Museum Renewal Fund targets museums owned and directly maintained by local authority funding, or with a governance link to a local authority.
The programme is intended to help museums meet the shortfall between operating costs and income throughout their 2025-26 budget, where the shortfall results in reduced programming, footfall and days open to the public.
Museums can apply for a minimum of £10,000 up to a maximum of £1million.
The application deadline is 22 May with outcomes expected by 26 June latest.
The funding period runs from August 4 to 31 January 2026.
For further detail including the application process, see the link to the ACE website at the bottom of this page.
Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) Round 5
This capital fund targets non-national Accredited museums and local authorities based in England.
It covers funding to undertake vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance backlogs which are beyond the scope of day-to-day maintenance budgets.
The total fund is worth £25million and grants range from £50,000 to £5million.
Expressions of Interest for Round 5 open at 9am on Monday 12 May 2025 with a deadline of Thursday 5 June.
Next steps
You can find more information on both these funds, alongside detailed timelines, guidance and helpful FAQs on the Arts Council website.
Click here for the Arts Council open funds (opens in a new tab)As ever, if you are facing significant financial challenges and are at risk of closure please do get in touch with Lisa Ollerhead, AIM Director.
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