Arts Council’s £12.2 million roll-out for museums

Arts Council England has announced that 94 museums and organisations will receive a total of £12,271,676 in the second round of the Museum Resilience Fund, which aims to support museums to become more sustainable and resilient businesses.

Among the recipients is Southampton City Art Gallery, awarded £450,000, who will work with the Sainsbury Gallery, Basingstoke, The Gallery, Winchester Discovery Centre; Gosport Gallery; and St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery to deliver a bold and ambitious artistic programme.

Elsewhere, Port Sunlight Museum, in Wirral, has been granted £170,000 to help create a new residents’ hub facility and develop a community volunteering programme, while the ‘Happy Museum’ initiative, which receives £182,000, will combine thinking and practical action around sustainability and wellbeing – exploring how, together, these support more sustainable and resilient museums.

John Orna-Ornstein, director of Museums at Arts Council England, said: “The focus of our investment approach for museums in 2015-18 is on building a more resilient sector. The Museum Resilience Fund is a key part of that, providing vital support to museums right across the country. The fund responds directly to the challenges facing museums like those in Lancashire and Kirklees, and also supports major strategic initiatives such as the Museums Association’s Transformers programme.”