The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has recently announced over £270 million of funding for the culture and heritage sectors.
The new investment includes the following programmes the Arts Council will administer in 2025/26:
o A new £85 million Creative Foundations Fund to support urgent capital works to keep venues across the country up and running.
o A new £20 million Museum Renewal Fundto help keep cherished civic museums open and engaging, protect opening hours and jobs, continue serving communities, and telling our national story at a local level, and
o Confirmation that DCMS will be providing £3.2 million in funding for four cultural education programmes for the next financial year to preserve increased access to arts for children and young people through the Museums and Schools Programme, the Heritage Schools Programme, the Art & Design National Saturday Club and the BFI Film Academy (of which, the Arts Council will administer the Museums and Schools Programme, and Saturday Clubs).
The Arts Council has also confirmed that the following funds will return for new rounds of investment in the next year:
o A 5th round of the Museum Estate and Development Fund worth £25 million, continuing support for museums to undertake vital infrastructure projects, and tackle urgent maintenance backlogs, and
o A 4th round of the Libraries Improvement Fund worth £5.5 million, which will enable public library services across England to upgrade buildings and technology to better respond to changing user needs.
Over the coming weeks the Arts Council will publish more details about the funds it will be administering, including applicant eligibility and timelines.
All of these funding programmes will be operating across the 2025/26 financial year.
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