Museums Galleries Scotland's Museum Development Fund supports museums to deliver medium-sized, strategic, sustainable development projects in line with their own business plans and the Strategy. Accredited museums can apply for between £15,000 to £60,000 and projects can run for 2 years.
Key Criteria
Grants can cover:
- Core operating costs
- Routine maintenance and like for like replacements
- Acquisitions of collections
- Work that has already started, or will start before the published decision date, other than preparatory work to identify scope
- Any more than 5% contingency (10% for capital projects)
Successful applicants will have to measure the inpact of their and report against Museums Galleries Scoland's grant outcomes. These are:
- Funded organisations will be more resilient
- Funded organisations will be more environmentally sustainable
- Collections will be better cared for and managed and more accessible
- The museum workforce will be more skilled, confident, and diverse
- A wider range of people will be engaging with and represented in museums
- Museums will enhance quality of life for people by improving wellbeing, supporting learning, or contributing to place-making
The expression of Interest period closes on 3 June 2026 with an application deadline of 17 June 2026.
