New Leadership Capacity Fund to support museums in achieving their ambitions

Museums Galleries Scotland has awarded £600,000 to 17 museum organisations across Scotland through the Leadership Capacity Fund.

The new fund offers museum leaders a chance to create vital additional capacity, allowing them to devote time to future planning.

The fund is just one element of the Museum Futures programme, introduced this year in response to the significant and ongoing financial and capacity challenges faced by the sector. Museum Futures aims to drive positive and strategic change within the sector by accelerating collaboration, innovation, and organisational sustainability through a suite of funding and support opportunities. The programme is made possible by a £4 million investment by the Scottish Government and has been developed in partnership by the Scottish Government, Museums Galleries Scotland, and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland said:

“I am delighted to announce these Leadership Capacity Fund awards. We have long been aware of the pressures on museum leaders juggling competing demands, which reduce their capacity to explore opportunities for growth and development of the attractions they manage. Instead, this new fund gives leaders vital headspace to plan and undertake their ambitions, and I look forward to seeing their next steps as part of the Museum Futures programme.”

Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture said:

“These funding awards highlight the very real but often hidden work that goes on behind the exhibits of our museums and the difference that additional funding can make to ensure that they flourish.

“The Museum Futures programme and the £4 million of Scottish Government funding behind it reflects our commitment to Scotland’s museum sector and I’m delighted to see that organisations across the country are set to benefit, from Orkney Islands Council to the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust in Dumfries.”

The awarded museums include The Tall Ship Glenlee, which will use its funding to recruit an Office Administrator. This position will enable the leadership team to divert time to developing fundraising initiatives, enhancing their business plan, and building stronger relationships with clients and donors. David Livingstone Birthplace Museum will use its funding to recruit new members of support staff to help fulfil day-to-day functions of the site. The additional members of staff will help to free up the Director’s time in order to develop a business plan that will identify sustainable income generation opportunities. Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum will promote two current team members to more senior roles, allowing the Director to step back from day-to-day operations, which include overseeing a listed building, staff, and programmes and focus on the strategic development of the organisation.

Fiona Greer, Development Director at The Tall Ship Glenlee said:

“We are extremely grateful to Museums Galleries Scotland for their support through the Leadership Capacity Fund. By strengthening our administrative capacity, we’ll be better placed to focus on strategic planning, partnership building, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of The Tall Ship Glenlee. This investment truly allows us to look to the future with confidence.”

Linda Fitzpatrick, Head Curator at the Scottish Fisheries Museum said:

“We are excited to begin the work made possible by the Leadership Capacity Fund and to use this opportunity to drill into the core purposes of the museum, investigate possibilities afforded by new technologies and/or collaborations, and link these to create new ways of serving and enhancing our collections and communities.  We are confident that the Scottish Fisheries Museum will emerge from the programme as a more focused organisation, with a clearer idea of its future direction.”

The 17 awarded organisations are Paxton House, The Scottish Fisheries Museum, Ullapool Museum, Chapter House Museum, Kilmartin Museum, Live Borders, The Scottish Crannog Centre, The Tall Ship Glenlee, Cromarty Courthouse Trust, Groam House Museum, Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum, The Abbotsford Trust, The Whithorn Trust, David Livingstone Trust, MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust, and Orkney Islands Council.