FIRST Minister John Swinney has said a £4 million fund for museums will help them to “innovate, collaborate and adapt” and bring in “new approaches that will stand the test of time”.
The new Museum Futures programme will offer funding and support to help transform how museums and galleries operate.
With Swinney hailing Scotland’s museums as being the “stewards of our cultural heritage” the fund is aimed at encouraging more collaboration across the sector to develop new ways of working.
It has been developed by the Scottish Government in partnership with Museums Galleries Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Details of the scheme were announced by the First Minister ahead of a visit to the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
Museums will be able to apply for cash either via an open fund – which will be focused on helping them improve leadership and deliver organisational change – or a targeted fund that will be more focused on the needs of communities.
An organisational health check as part of the scheme, which has been developed by Museums Galleries Scotland, will also help individual museums to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses, helping them make more informed decisions about their priorities and funding.
The First Minister said: “Museums are the stewards of our cultural heritage, preserving the objects and artworks that have shaped Scotland, from its earliest beginnings to the latest trends.
“Local museums in particular are responsible for bringing the stories behind their communities to life, and the Museum Futures programme aims to give them a solid foundation to build on by helping organisations innovate, collaborate and adapt.”
He said that some museums were “already early adopters of new ways of working” adding that the new programme would “encourage more of that through the sharing of ideas, practical advice and funding”.
Swinney stressed: “This programme and the £4 million funding behind it reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure our museums flourish.”
He said he had heard “loud and clear” from the sector on the “challenges they are currently facing”.
And he added: “I would strongly encourage anyone who might be eligible to consider how they could secure their part of Scotland’s story with this funding and support.”
Lucy Casot, chief executive of Museums Galleries Scotland, hailed the fund as a “momentous opportunity for Scotland’s museums”.
Casot said the scheme “takes a progressive new approach to sector investment and development, allowing us to imagine and test what a strong museum sector could look like”.
She added: “It provides capacity to explore how the sector can adapt to meet current and future challenges while removing some of the risks of trying something new.
“It gives museums a chance to plan for long-term sustainability instead of just getting through another year.
“Museum Futures recognises the hard journey that our sector has had and seeks to offer a positive way to address barriers and support change.”
Meanwhile Caroline Clark, National Lottery Heritage Fund director for Scotland, said: “Since the launch of the Heritage Fund some 30 years ago we have worked closely with Scotland’s museum sector and thanks to National Lottery players we have supported museums of every size and style in every part of the country.
“As the largest funder for the UK’s heritage our knowledge and experience has helped shape the Museum Futures programme.
“We now look forward to supporting it in delivery and continuing to be a key funder, project partner and supporter for a resilient, creative and collaborative museum sector in Scotland.”
