Civic museums across England have been awarded grants from the UK Government's £20m Museum Renewal Fund,

Administered by Arts Council England, the fund will be shared between 75 civic museums, including Birmingham Museums Trust, York Museums Trust, Chatham Historic Dockyard, Barnsley Museums, Brighton and Hove Museums and Discover Bucks Museum.

Part of the £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund, announced by the culture secretary Lisa Nandy in February 2025, the Museum Renewal Fund aims to improve public access to collections, protect community and educational programmes, and help ensure local and regional museums are fit for the future.

The grants will protect opening hours and job opportunities as well as strengthening museums’ ability to attract tourists and employers to regions across the country.

Birmingham Museums Trust will receive more than £994,742 to deliver family-friendly and community-centered exhibitions, including its summer family show and a pop-up tribute to local hero Ozzy Osbourne.

Funding will improve access to significant collections during museum renovation, including four Designated collections.

Advertisement

York Museums Trust was awarded £1m, enabling the organisation to invest in its longer-term sustainability and to enhance its activities at York Castle Museum.

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 was awarded £314,000 to secure the museum’s future and continue telling Buckinghamshire’s local heritage story and displaying its stunning archaeological finds.

Brighton & Hove Museums will receive £882,098 to strengthen the museum’s financial stability in 2025–2026, boost reserves, and support commercial initiatives across its five venues which include the Royal Pavilion & Garden, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Hove Museum of Creativity, Preston Manor & Gardens and Booth Museum of Natural History.

“This vital support comes at a crucial time - not just for us at Brighton & Hove Museums, but for cultural organisations across the country navigating what continues to be a difficult time for the visitor economy,” said the organisation's CEO, Hedley Swain.

Advertisement

“Thanks to this funding, we can look to the future with renewed energy and confidence. It will help us balance our books this year and strengthen our reserves - giving us the stability we need to keep delivering the experiences our visitors love.”

Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust has been awarded £533,084, which will help the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust upgrade IT systems, enhance family programming, support short term financial pressures, and rebuild charitable reserves to support the ongoing preservation of the Dockyard’s unique historic estate.

MP for Rochester and Strood, Lauren Edwards, said: “I know how valuable this grant will be for the Dockyard, which remains one of our greatest assets - not just for local families, but for our local tourism and heritage economy.” 

Nicholas Serota, chair of 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.” 

Full list of recipients receiving a share of the fund

London:

  • Headstone Manor & Museum – £419,420
  • Fulham Palace – £571,033
  • Gunnersbury Park Museum – £147,309
  • Richmond Arts Service – £117,354
  • Brent Museum and Archives – £121,851
  • Haringey Council – £60,400

West Midlands:

  • Culture Coventry – £384,390
  • Museum of Royal Worcester CIO – £228,343
  • Birmingham Museums Trust – £994,742
  • Shropshire Council – £226,238
  • Ford Green Hall Museum – £34,369
  • Tamworth Borough Council – £139,120
  • Warwickshire County Council – £37,690
  • Museums Worcestershire
  • Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum – £239,922

East Midlands:

  • Derby Museums – £799,700
  • Derbyshire County Council Museums Service – £72,000
  • Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust – £42,019
  • The Village Church Farm Museum – £14,085

North East:

  • Sunderland City Council – £102,280
  • The Bowes Museum – £436,181
  • Jarrow Hall – £38,669
  • Middlesbrough Council Cultural Services – £239,551
  • Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums – £438,300

North West:

  • People’s History Museum – £652,157
  • Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery – £598,775
  • The World of Glass – £286,000
  • Keswick Museum & Art Gallery Management Ltd – £217,103
  • Manchester City Galleries – £74,184
  • Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre – £67,600
  • Lancaster City Museums – £40,500
  • The Norton Priory Museum Trust – £52,000
  • Lakeland Arts – £295,713

South East:

  • Vale and Downland Museum – £53,190
  • Windsor and Royal Borough Museum – £65,895
  • Museum of Oxford, Oxford City Council – £227,952
  • Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust – £533,084
  • Bucks County Museum – £314, 000
  • Wycombe Museum – £104,318
  • Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust – £881,848
  • The Banbury Museum Trust – £131,957
  • Bexhill Museum £43,118
  • Maidstone Museums – £75,000

South West:

  • Exeter City Council – £114,202
  • Wiltshire Museum – £11,077
  • Bristol Museums – £495,320
  • Weymouth Museum Trust – £43,725
  • The Box (Plymouth City Council) – £184,215
  • South West Heritage Trust – £503,131
  • Bridport Museum Trust – £29,218
  • Dean Heritage Centre – £58,285
  • Trowbridge Town Council – £25,000
  • BCP Council (Poole Museums) – £376,500
  • Museum of Gloucester – £360,378
  • Burton Art Gallery and Museum – £161,570
  • King John’s House and Tudor Cottage Trust Ltd – £106,000
  • Hampshire Cultural Trust – £1,177,430

East of England:

  • The Culture Trust, Luton – £530,528
  • Norfolk Museums Service – £360,000
  • Chelmsford City Council – £236,297
  • Ware Museum CIO – £58,337
  • Southend Museum Service – £39,794
  • The Cromwell Museum – £240,300
  • Peterborough City Council – £168,000
  • Colchester Borough Council – £126,200
  • The Food Museum Ltd – £351,112
  • St Albans Museums – £85,000

Yorkshire and the Humber:

  • Hull Culture and Leisure – £272,095
  • Sheffield Museums Trust – £708,064
  • Bradford Museums and Galleries – £125,000
  • Wakefield Museums & Pontefract Castle – £82,807
  • York Museums Trust – £1,000,000
  • Leeds Museums and Galleries – £952,000
  • Ilkley Manor House Trust – £16,782
  • Barnsley Museum – £266,273
  • Doncaster Heritage Services – £116,000