MGS announces its new grants schedule for 2025/26 and updates to funding
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has announced a grants programme representing £2.4m of investment for the coming year. Thanks to increased investment from the Scottish Government, a new capital fund has been created and MGS’s Small Grants Fund will open to non-Accredited Museums for the first time.
The Small Grants Fund supports museums to develop their work and deliver against the priority areas of Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy. This funding will enable non-Accredited museums to strengthen and expand the important work they currently do for their collections and communities. Non-Accredited museums can apply for up to £10,000, while Accredited museums will still be able to apply for grants of up to £15,000.
The Repair and Adaptation Fund has also been introduced to address the need for capital funding in the sector. This fund has been made possible by a significant increase in capital investment from the Scottish Government.
This fund will support capital costs that directly increase the resilience or accessibility of museums through projects that address capital repair issues or adaptations that go beyond the limitations of a museum’s core maintenance budget. Accredited museums will be able to apply for grants of up to £100,000.
MGS’s Museum Development Fund and Creative Minds Fund will continue.
Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland said:
“We welcome the additional investment from the Scottish Government, recognising the pressures faced by our sector. By giving notice of the funds that will be available this year we hope colleagues across the sector will have time to make enquiries, consider their needs, and submit bids.
“Our recent sector symposium, attended by over 300 colleagues in person and online, emphasised the strong desire to secure more stable funding. We hope that by offering a new source of funding for capital repairs and introducing support for non-Accredited museums, we are helping our sector build greater resilience.”
MGS is currently developing a separate new capacity-focused fund as part of a wider programme that will seek to help museums become sustainable and resilient organisations. Further details will be shared in the coming months.