Renaissance funding might not be ringfenced by the Arts Council England (ACE) after 2015, members of the Museums Association (MA) were told at a briefing in Leeds City Museum yesterday.
Speaking at the MA’s second members’ meeting, Helen Parrott, senior manager at ACE, gave further details about ACE’s new £20m major grants funding programme for museums, including eligibility criteria and the long-term future of Renaissance.
ACE will award major grants ranging from £500,000 to £2m to accredited museums, or consortia of accredited museums, with designated collections for the three years between 2012 and 2015.
Parrott told MA members that ACE is currently consulting on the scheme beyond 2015, but added that Renaissance money would not be ringfenced after this time.
However a spokeswoman for ACE said that no decisions regarding Renaissance funding after 2015 had been made and that it was too early to speculate.
“Funding for the responsibilities that we have taken on from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) are subject to a separate funding agreement for this period, 2012-15." she added. "As for the future, that funding will be subject to further discussion with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, but no decision has been made on integration or ringfencing and it is much too early to speculate at this stage.”
Mark Taylor, director of the MA, said the issue of ringfencing was “alarming” and that the MA would be speaking to ACE in the coming months.
Parrott also gave further details on ACE’s strategic fund. It is understood that in 2012/13 this money will be used as transitional funding for Hub museums that don’t receive major grant funding. Any remaining funds will be assigned to other developmental areas.
Click here to read more about ACE’s major grants programme
REGIONAL OUTLOOK
John Roles, head of museums and galleries at Leeds City Council, also spoke at the members’ meeting in Leeds. He said that the transfer of museums from the MLA to ACE had been “encouraging” so far.
Commenting on the new Renaissance funding structure, Roles said: “It’s important not to throw the baby out of the bathwater – good stuff happened in Leeds thanks to Renaissance, which was instrumental in the revolution of our service here. Let’s build on what we’ve got, rather than chuck everything out and start again.”
Nial Adams, president of the Yorkshire and Humberside Federation of Museums, later spoke about the impact of budget cuts in Yorkshire and called for a unified approach: “We can find a way to come together and use the resources we have to develop a coherent, unified and well-researched case for enhanced ACE investment in Yorkshire.”
In the afternoon, members had the opportunity to attend group discussions on the MA and its activities, including Museums Journal and Museum Practice; financially-motivated disposals; and the MA’s work for museums and museum professionals in Yorkshire.
Sally Colvin, collections coordinator at the MA, gave a presentation on collections knowledge while Carolyn Dalton, manager at the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery and the MA’s regional representative for Yorkshire, spoke about an Effective Collections project at her museum.
The day ended with another panel discussion facilitated by MA members of staff, which saw attendees given the opportunity to ask questions about the MA and its work in Yorkshire and the UK as a whole.
The next MA members’ meeting will be on 5 December at the British Museum in London. More details will appear on the MA website in due course.
Update
14.09.2011
This story was updated to include further comment from ACE.
Speaking at the MA’s second members’ meeting, Helen Parrott, senior manager at ACE, gave further details about ACE’s new £20m major grants funding programme for museums, including eligibility criteria and the long-term future of Renaissance.
ACE will award major grants ranging from £500,000 to £2m to accredited museums, or consortia of accredited museums, with designated collections for the three years between 2012 and 2015.
Parrott told MA members that ACE is currently consulting on the scheme beyond 2015, but added that Renaissance money would not be ringfenced after this time.
However a spokeswoman for ACE said that no decisions regarding Renaissance funding after 2015 had been made and that it was too early to speculate.
“Funding for the responsibilities that we have taken on from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) are subject to a separate funding agreement for this period, 2012-15." she added. "As for the future, that funding will be subject to further discussion with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, but no decision has been made on integration or ringfencing and it is much too early to speculate at this stage.”
Mark Taylor, director of the MA, said the issue of ringfencing was “alarming” and that the MA would be speaking to ACE in the coming months.
Parrott also gave further details on ACE’s strategic fund. It is understood that in 2012/13 this money will be used as transitional funding for Hub museums that don’t receive major grant funding. Any remaining funds will be assigned to other developmental areas.
Click here to read more about ACE’s major grants programme
REGIONAL OUTLOOK
John Roles, head of museums and galleries at Leeds City Council, also spoke at the members’ meeting in Leeds. He said that the transfer of museums from the MLA to ACE had been “encouraging” so far.
Commenting on the new Renaissance funding structure, Roles said: “It’s important not to throw the baby out of the bathwater – good stuff happened in Leeds thanks to Renaissance, which was instrumental in the revolution of our service here. Let’s build on what we’ve got, rather than chuck everything out and start again.”
Nial Adams, president of the Yorkshire and Humberside Federation of Museums, later spoke about the impact of budget cuts in Yorkshire and called for a unified approach: “We can find a way to come together and use the resources we have to develop a coherent, unified and well-researched case for enhanced ACE investment in Yorkshire.”
In the afternoon, members had the opportunity to attend group discussions on the MA and its activities, including Museums Journal and Museum Practice; financially-motivated disposals; and the MA’s work for museums and museum professionals in Yorkshire.
Sally Colvin, collections coordinator at the MA, gave a presentation on collections knowledge while Carolyn Dalton, manager at the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery and the MA’s regional representative for Yorkshire, spoke about an Effective Collections project at her museum.
The day ended with another panel discussion facilitated by MA members of staff, which saw attendees given the opportunity to ask questions about the MA and its work in Yorkshire and the UK as a whole.
The next MA members’ meeting will be on 5 December at the British Museum in London. More details will appear on the MA website in due course.
Update
14.09.2011
This story was updated to include further comment from ACE.