Arts Council England (ACE) has announced a three year major partner museum funding round from 2015-18.
Major partner museum funding is anticipated to be reduced by 5% in real terms in 2015/16, while funding levels for 2016-18 will not be known until the next comprehensive spending review.
Museums will be invited to submit applications from January 2014. More information about the process and criteria for funding is to be announced in late autumn, but it is understood that applications from new organisations will be welcomed, while existing MPMs may lose their funding or see funding levels change.
Alan Davey, ACE’s chief executive, said: “There will be an impact from our reduced investment - some organisations will lose funding - but we are confident that we can preserve a strong ecology for the arts and culture across England.
“There is no benefit in ‘salami-slicing’ and spreading the funds too thinly to make a substantial difference to anyone.”
Maurice Davies, the Museums Association’s head of policy and communications, said: “The model of major partner museum funding with strategic funding is working well. Museums can apply on their own terms for funding and a good variety of them are funded.
“It is not clear whether there will be fewer major partner museums at the same level of funding, or a smaller pot for the same number. In the past ACE has suggested its favoured approach would be to fund fewer at a higher level.”
The third round of the ACE’s capital investment programme for large grants, and the second round for small grants, will open in October 2013. ACE has confirmed that there will be a fourth round of the capital programme from 2015.
ACE is also looking at ways in which it can make more flexible use of its national lottery funds.
Meanwhile, ACE’s internal restructure continues, and its annual report shows the organisation has a provision of £4m for the organisational review and further redundancies over the coming year.
Last year 32 posts were made redundant, with £696,000 paid in redundancy packages. A further 117.5 full time equivalent posts are to be made redundant this year.
Major partner museum funding is anticipated to be reduced by 5% in real terms in 2015/16, while funding levels for 2016-18 will not be known until the next comprehensive spending review.
Museums will be invited to submit applications from January 2014. More information about the process and criteria for funding is to be announced in late autumn, but it is understood that applications from new organisations will be welcomed, while existing MPMs may lose their funding or see funding levels change.
Alan Davey, ACE’s chief executive, said: “There will be an impact from our reduced investment - some organisations will lose funding - but we are confident that we can preserve a strong ecology for the arts and culture across England.
“There is no benefit in ‘salami-slicing’ and spreading the funds too thinly to make a substantial difference to anyone.”
Maurice Davies, the Museums Association’s head of policy and communications, said: “The model of major partner museum funding with strategic funding is working well. Museums can apply on their own terms for funding and a good variety of them are funded.
“It is not clear whether there will be fewer major partner museums at the same level of funding, or a smaller pot for the same number. In the past ACE has suggested its favoured approach would be to fund fewer at a higher level.”
The third round of the ACE’s capital investment programme for large grants, and the second round for small grants, will open in October 2013. ACE has confirmed that there will be a fourth round of the capital programme from 2015.
ACE is also looking at ways in which it can make more flexible use of its national lottery funds.
Meanwhile, ACE’s internal restructure continues, and its annual report shows the organisation has a provision of £4m for the organisational review and further redundancies over the coming year.
Last year 32 posts were made redundant, with £696,000 paid in redundancy packages. A further 117.5 full time equivalent posts are to be made redundant this year.
