Alistair Hardaker | Image: The Whithorn Trust apprentices learning to build a thatched roof
Latest round brings total to £3.5m distributed to 58 organisations in partnership programme’s first year, with applications open for next round.
Museums Galleries Scotland has announced the latest awards through its Museum Futures programme, with £1.3 million distributed to museums across Scotland.
The awards bring the total distributed through the programme’s first year to £3.5 million across 58 organisations. Museum Futures is a partnership programme developed by the Scottish Government, Museums Galleries Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, launched in 2025 in response to challenges facing the museum sector.
Lucy Casot, chief executive of Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “What is particularly exciting about these Museum Futures awards is that they are giving organisations the time, confidence, and support to build on that strength by testing new ideas, developing partnerships, and finding creative ways to secure their future while continuing to serve their communities.”
Museums and Heritage Highland received £255,800 for a two-year pilot project called Pathways to the Future, which will launch a shared-services model for rural museums. Eight museums will share expertise, systems and staff support across the Highlands.
The Whithorn Trust was awarded £152,519 to develop a heritage skills hub offering training in archaeology, traditional building, conservation skills, sustainable architecture and low-impact travel.
Leisure and Culture Dundee secured £50,000 to support the research phase for a proposed shared regional collections store serving museums in Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross. The project aims to increase access to objects currently held in inaccessible storage.
Gairloch Museum received £81,086 to reconstruct an Iron Age roundhouse as part of its outdoor museum.
Other recipients include David Livingstone Birthplace Museum (£194,500), The Abbotsford Trust (£143,924), Falkirk Council (£131,410), Kinloch Historical Society (£80,000), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (£70,000), Kilmartin Museum (£60,000), The Tall Ship Glenlee (£60,000), Summerlee Museum (£68,313), Stromness Museum (£22,200) and Art in Healthcare (£13,300).
The next round of Museum Futures funding is open for applications, with a final deadline of 27 January 2027.
