Museums and Galleries: Finance

(asked on 13th May 2026) - View Source
Questioner
Jim Shannon Portrait
Jim Shannon
(Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding has been allocated in the current financial year to support regional museums.

Answered by
Ian Murray Portrait
Ian Murray
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This question was answered on 21st May 2026

Museums funding is fully devolved to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In England, DCMS announced earlier this year that it would allocate £160 million to accredited local museums in England from 2026/27 to 2029/30. Funding programmes for the current financial year include:

  • £25.5 million of Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) to support infrastructure projects across 28 regional museums in England.

  • £13.6 million will be invested in a Museum Transformation fund to support English museums in achieving a more sustainable business model.

  • £4 million will be allocated amongst the 24 recipients of the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund to help local and regional museums across England improve their displays and increase the accessibility of exhibitions.

  • Arts Council England also provides roughly £44m per year through their National Portfolio and Museum Development Programme to regional museums in England.

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