Nine museum services will share £8m from Arts Council England’s (ACE) museum development fund to provide a national network of professional advice and support for smaller museums.
The successful services – seven of which are also Renaissance-funded major museums – will receive just over £8m between 2012 and 2015 to carry out targeted work such as business planning, workforce development, attracting new audiences and organisational improvement.
Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery & Archives received the largest award of £1.19m. Next was Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service with £1.14m and Brighton & Hove’s Royal Pavilion, Museums & Libraries with £1.4m.
The other major museum partners to receive museum development funding are: Manchester City Galleries (£880,000); York Museums Trust (£840,000); Museum of London (£650,190); and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (£416,000).
Meanwhile, Herefordshire Heritage Service has been awarded £832,000, while Leicestershire County Council has received £719,887.
Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association, said he hoped the three-year contracts would enable long-term planning and capacity building.
He added: “It always seemed that ACE assumed that the major museum partners would be first in line to do this work, but it is good to see other museums and organisations involved that have a history and culture of museum development.”
The successful services – seven of which are also Renaissance-funded major museums – will receive just over £8m between 2012 and 2015 to carry out targeted work such as business planning, workforce development, attracting new audiences and organisational improvement.
Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery & Archives received the largest award of £1.19m. Next was Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service with £1.14m and Brighton & Hove’s Royal Pavilion, Museums & Libraries with £1.4m.
The other major museum partners to receive museum development funding are: Manchester City Galleries (£880,000); York Museums Trust (£840,000); Museum of London (£650,190); and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (£416,000).
Meanwhile, Herefordshire Heritage Service has been awarded £832,000, while Leicestershire County Council has received £719,887.
Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association, said he hoped the three-year contracts would enable long-term planning and capacity building.
He added: “It always seemed that ACE assumed that the major museum partners would be first in line to do this work, but it is good to see other museums and organisations involved that have a history and culture of museum development.”
