Issued by: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

£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

• 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 (https://shorturl.at/yeT6P) 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.”

Notes to editors:

Full list of recipients receiving a share of the fund: https://shorturl.at/ND4d5

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