University museums and galleries in England are facing a review of their funding that may lead to cuts for some.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England's (Hefce) review of its funding for museums and galleries will assess institutions against its core aims, ask for evidence from each of the 31 currently-funded museums and decide what to fund in the future. As part of the review, university institutions that are not currently funded by Hefce can also come forward and put their case for support.
The review comes as Hefce resumes administration of its "special fund" for museums and galleries. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) had previously managed the fund for ten years. The current round of museums and galleries funding runs to August 2010. The next round of grants will be decided by the review, and funding will start from September 2010.
Fears that the fund could cease completely as a result of the review have been allayed. Nick Merriman, the chairman of the University Museums Group (UMG), says the worry was that universities would be expected to fund the museums through their own core grant from Hefce.
But how much of the £10m currently given to museums and galleries will remain after the review is in doubt. Paul Hubbard, head of research policy at Hefce, told Museums Journal: "We see no prospect of increasing the fund this time."
In May, Hefce was asked by its funding body, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to find £180m in efficiency savings for 2010/11.
Rumours abound that the £10m pot has already been earmarked for a cut, but Hubbard denied this, saying there was no hidden agenda.
In September, Hefce invited the higher education institutions it funds to air their thoughts about the review.
The UMG is concerned that Hefce's core aims vary significantly from the AHRC's. Where Hefce criteria focuses on funding museums and galleries on the basis of their ability to demonstrate value to the wider research and higher education community, the AHRC was not interested in this, says the group. During the AHRC's two funding cycles of five years each, the focus was on museums' public stewardship and access role.
Hubbard says it is important for museums and galleries to show they are providing services to attract those into higher education who otherwise might not consider it.
Deborah Swallow, the director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, said the main concern was that Hefce's terms of reference don't take into account that without support for core activities it will be challenging to deliver the additional research and public benefits that Hefce has presented as key performance indicators for further funding.
The Courtauld Gallery receives £824,736 a year in funding from Hefce. Its parent body, the Courtauld Institute of Art, receives a special grant of £138,546 to support its library and other collections. Hefce is now considering rolling the two funds into one.
The review was set to get underway at the end of last month and museums and galleries will be informed of funding decisions in March 2010 for grants commencing in September 2010.
Merriman said it would be important to show how core funding has affected the institutions. But he admitted that "the best outcome will be flat funding".
The Higher Education Funding Council for England's (Hefce) review of its funding for museums and galleries will assess institutions against its core aims, ask for evidence from each of the 31 currently-funded museums and decide what to fund in the future. As part of the review, university institutions that are not currently funded by Hefce can also come forward and put their case for support.
The review comes as Hefce resumes administration of its "special fund" for museums and galleries. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) had previously managed the fund for ten years. The current round of museums and galleries funding runs to August 2010. The next round of grants will be decided by the review, and funding will start from September 2010.
Fears that the fund could cease completely as a result of the review have been allayed. Nick Merriman, the chairman of the University Museums Group (UMG), says the worry was that universities would be expected to fund the museums through their own core grant from Hefce.
But how much of the £10m currently given to museums and galleries will remain after the review is in doubt. Paul Hubbard, head of research policy at Hefce, told Museums Journal: "We see no prospect of increasing the fund this time."
In May, Hefce was asked by its funding body, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to find £180m in efficiency savings for 2010/11.
Rumours abound that the £10m pot has already been earmarked for a cut, but Hubbard denied this, saying there was no hidden agenda.
In September, Hefce invited the higher education institutions it funds to air their thoughts about the review.
The UMG is concerned that Hefce's core aims vary significantly from the AHRC's. Where Hefce criteria focuses on funding museums and galleries on the basis of their ability to demonstrate value to the wider research and higher education community, the AHRC was not interested in this, says the group. During the AHRC's two funding cycles of five years each, the focus was on museums' public stewardship and access role.
Hubbard says it is important for museums and galleries to show they are providing services to attract those into higher education who otherwise might not consider it.
Deborah Swallow, the director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, said the main concern was that Hefce's terms of reference don't take into account that without support for core activities it will be challenging to deliver the additional research and public benefits that Hefce has presented as key performance indicators for further funding.
The Courtauld Gallery receives £824,736 a year in funding from Hefce. Its parent body, the Courtauld Institute of Art, receives a special grant of £138,546 to support its library and other collections. Hefce is now considering rolling the two funds into one.
The review was set to get underway at the end of last month and museums and galleries will be informed of funding decisions in March 2010 for grants commencing in September 2010.
Merriman said it would be important to show how core funding has affected the institutions. But he admitted that "the best outcome will be flat funding".
HE institution: 2009/10 (£)
University of Oxford: 3,452,356
University of Manchester: 2,058,188
University of Cambridge: 1,766,104
Courtauld Institute of Art: 824,736
University of East Anglia: 339,876
University of Reading: 308,888
University College London: 252,676
University of Newcastle upon Tyne: 200,148
University of Birmingham: 191,736
Royal Academy of Music: 175,464
London Metropolitan University: 96,136
University of Durham: 95,600
University of Kent: 77,224
University of Bath: 77,224
Middlesex University: 77,224
University of the Creative Arts: 77,224
University of Central Lancashire: 77,224
University of Oxford: 3,452,356
University of Manchester: 2,058,188
University of Cambridge: 1,766,104
Courtauld Institute of Art: 824,736
University of East Anglia: 339,876
University of Reading: 308,888
University College London: 252,676
University of Newcastle upon Tyne: 200,148
University of Birmingham: 191,736
Royal Academy of Music: 175,464
London Metropolitan University: 96,136
University of Durham: 95,600
University of Kent: 77,224
University of Bath: 77,224
Middlesex University: 77,224
University of the Creative Arts: 77,224
University of Central Lancashire: 77,224
Links
www.hefce.ac.uk
www.hefce.ac.uk
