Fund has helped Scotland’s museums ‘move beyond day-to-day survival’

The Scottish Government’s Museum Futures programme has funded 58 organisations and provided wraparound support to a further 110 since it launched a year ago.

An evaluation report published this month found that the scheme has had a national reach across all regions of Scotland, and that a third of eligible organisations have engaged with it so far. Many organisations have accessed multiple strands of support “best suited to their needs”, according to the findings.

The evaluation indicates that the scheme is helping the sector “move beyond day-to-day survival and build stronger foundations for the future”, said Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), the arm’s-length body that administers the programme on behalf of the government.

Museum Futures was developed in direct response to the significant challenges faced by the museum sector, and supports museum leaders to gain the time, confidence, and organisational capacity needed to build long-term resilience.

It aims to create “new pathways to support the innovation needed to transition to a more sustainable way of working, while removing some of the risks of trying something new”.

The report highlights “strong early progress and clear validation” of this approach.

Key findings

• A strong, sector-endorsed model: Museums value the programme’s “whole organisation” approach that focusses on strengthening foundations and supporting innovation where appropriate through a combination of financial and non-financial support.
• Relational delivery is key: The relationship-led model between Museums Galleries Scotland and participating museums is the highest-rated element of the programme, enabling trust, openness, and more meaningful support.
• Diagnostic work is driving change: Tools such as the Organisational Health Checker are already helping museums clarify priorities and take action (with 96% of survey respondents reporting positive impact).
• Clear sector demand and appetite for innovation: The programme has surfaced strong demand, with many organisations seeking resource to develop existing ideas. 41 of 70 survey respondents had tried a new approach in the past 12 months and 23 of 70 were planning to.
• Leaders supported to think strategically: The majority of Leadership Capacity Fund recipients report increased ability to focus on strategic priorities where previously inhibited by operational pressures.

The programme was created in partnership by the Scottish Government, MGS and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Open to both Accredited and non-Accredited museums, the programme comprises five open and targeted funding streams supporting sector innovation as well as leadership capacity and organisational development. It has provided a total of £3.5m in grants so far.

Further wraparound support includes diagnostic tools, external training offers, consultancy services and peer to peer learning opportunities.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested £770,000 in match funding and in the wraparound support programme through access to consultancy services and expertise to assist with programme development and evaluation.

“This initial year has allowed us to set the groundwork for future success and the evaluation confirms something we have long understood: Scotland's museums have the ambition, creativity and commitment to innovate, but too often they have lacked the capacity, resources, and support to turn those ideas into lasting change,” said MGS chief executive Lucy Casot. “Museum Futures is beginning to change that.”

Casot said the initiative was helping museums to “play an even greater role in strengthening communities, supporting learning and skills, driving local economies and tourism, improving wellbeing, and protecting the heritage and stories that connect people and places across Scotland”.

However she cautioned that “while the progress is positive, it remains fragile, and continued investment is essential to maintaining momentum”.

Scotland’s culture secretary Màiri McAllan said: “From trialling a new form of renewable energy at the Lead Mining Museum to developing dark history experiences at Jedburgh Castle Jail, this evaluation shows a strong foundation to test new ways of working in the first year. I look forward to seeing where we go from here to bring Scotland’s past into the present in fresh and exciting ways.”

Funded activity

• A shared staffing model pilot for rural museums in the Highlands, helping organisations collaborate, strengthen resilience and develop new income streams to improve future sustainability.
• Scoping feasibility of a shared collections store in the Tayside region, improving access to collections and long-term sustainability.
• Creation of a heritage skills hub in Whithorn, supporting training, community engagement and traditional skills development.
• Investment in low-carbon infrastructure, such as a new form of renewable energy at the Museum of Lead Mining.
• New income-generating visitor experiences, including immersive interpretation and tourism-focused engagement programmes.