Additional funding for Scotland’s museums and galleries

The Scottish Government has allocated an additional £2m to the Museums Recovery Fund to help independent museums recover from the pandemic.  

The fund will support organisations struggling with the ongoing financial challenges brought on by Covid. It will assist these museums with additional financial capacity enabling them to operate successfully in 2022 and continue to adapt to the challenges and opportunities arising from the pandemic. 

The funding will be distributed by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS). Launched earlier this month, the Museum Recovery Fund is already distributing £1m to support recovery and resilience.

The additional funding will widen the scope of the fund and there will be more flexibility over the size of grants that applicants can apply for. MGS advises prospective applicants to review the updated information about the fund on its website.

Expressions of interest must be sent to Grants@MuseumsGalleriesScotland.org.uk by 5pm on Tuesday 1 March 2022. The fund closes on Friday 11 March.

Lucy Casot, the CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “We welcome the opportunity presented by the new funds to support museums and galleries to overcome the ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic. The funds will help the sector to continue to welcome back visitors, adapt to these new circumstances and continue to serve their communities."  

Meanwhile, Creative Scotland has been allocated £12m towards a hardship fund for creative freelancers, a recovery fund for cultural organisations and for Edinburgh Festivals, which celebrate their 75^th year this summer.

Details of how the money will be distributed are yet to be announced.  

The Museums Association Conference will be held in Edinburgh this year, 3-5 November and will explore how museums can create better places to live and work in a post-Covid world. Book your place now for 10% off.