Art Fund has announced the recipients of its latest funding to museums and galleries, totalling £1m.
Twenty one museums and galleries across the UK have been offered a total of £800,000 for projects to support their workforce and improve inclusion and diversity.
A further £200,000 has been awarded through Museum Development UK (MDUK) to support smaller museums to retain and train staff, with an emphasis on curatorial posts and members of the workforce who work directly with collections including learning, engagement and conservation.
MDUK will distribute the £200,000 grant from Art Fund through a combination of grants and creative programmes developed in response to needs identified by Museum Development providers. MDUK are match-funding the grant with around £100,000 of their own investment.
The UK-wide Museum Development providers administering the grants and programmes are: The Museum Development (MD) Programme across England; Museums Galleries Scotland; Welsh Government (Culture Division); and Northern Ireland Museums Council.
Part of the Reimagine funding programme, the £1m capital is hoped to enable increased stability for museums and galleries, supporting organisations to develop or refresh their work in response to their current situation.
The report suggests “significant barriers remain to increasing ethnic and racial diversity in the museum and gallery workforce”, it said.
In this round of capital, Art Fund said it was particularly interested in applications that respond to the findings and recommendations of the report and aim to make their organisations more inclusive.
Among recipients is Spike Island (pictured above) a centre for visual arts in the southwest, which will provide 40 free Associate Bursary places to young people from marginalised and underrepresented communities in Bristol.
Glasgow Women’s Library, the only accredited museum dedicated to women’s history, will support artists and communities to interrogate and shape collections.
The first round of Reimagine grants were announced in August 2020 as part of an effort to support organisations to deliver projects or activity that would provide a positive change in offering new or improved ways of working during and as part of the longer-term response to the COVID19 crisis.
Since its initial round, £7.3m has been awarded. In the most recent round, organisations were able to apply for support of between £10,000 and £50,000.
Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said: “This year’s Reimagine grants will enable museums and galleries to foster inclusivity and create opportunities for diverse voices to contribute to the cultural sector.
“Together, these projects make a step towards a more inclusive and diverse museum workforce. Huge congratulations to all recipients,” she added.
