Bradford Industrial Museum, part of Bradford Museums & Galleries (CC BY-SA 3.0 John Yeadon)
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ACE announces 77 museums in 2023-26 National Portfolio

Image: Bradford Industrial Museum, part of Bradford Museums & Galleries (CC BY-SA 3.0 John Yeadon)

Almost a third of the museums and support organisation announced are new to the National Portfolio, which provides funding to arts and cultural organisations across England.

Arts Council England (ACE) has announced the 77 museums which have been granted National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status as part of its 2023-26 investment round.

The museums join a total of 990 arts and culture organisations across England which will receive a cut of the £446m total funding available.

The museums selected have been provided with a total £36.5m, the largest recipient of which is The Tyne & Wear Archives & Museum at £3.3m.

Five sector support organisations have also been awarded IPSOs (Investment Principles Support Organisation) status, with a total of £1m backing. The largest recipient is the Association of Independent Museums, which received £ 305,520.

The remaining four IPSOs to receive funding are the Collections Trust, GEM – Group for Education in Museums, Kids in Museums, Touring Exhibitions Group.

Twenty six museums and museum support organisations are new to the National Portfolio, which include nine in the North, six in the South East, four in both London and the Midlands, and three in the South West.

Bradford Museums & Galleries is among the newly added organisations, and has received £381,770.

As part of its announcement, ACE highlighted the investment being put into the North, with a redistribution of funding away from London.

It said the investment “builds on the work done to strengthen the North’s cultural sector in previous years,” and “reflects the Arts Council’s commitment to build on the legacy of Hull’s tenure as City of Culture in 2017, while looking ahead to Bradford holding that title in 2025.”

A total of 24 organisations plan to voluntarily relocate from London by October 2024, it reports, which includes 18 NPOs, and 6 IPSOs.

ACE said it has invested 21.8% more outside of London in 2023/24, compared to 2018/19, but that London remains its largest investment per area or £152m per year, or a third of its investment. The North’s 282 Portfolio organisations received a total of £127m.

Prior to the announcement, ACE had warned that the scheme was heavily oversubscribed, with more than 1,700 arts bodies having applied for funds worth a total of £2bn over the three years.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan was critical of the ACE funding allocation. He said: “Many of our world-leading cultural organisations will be left devastated by this announcement of over £50m worth of government cuts to London’s arts funding.

“These cuts could not have come at a worse time as arts organisations already face a triple whammy of spiralling operating costs, soaring energy bills, and the impact of both the pandemic and the cost of the living crisis on audience figures.”

But Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham was more positive. He said of the announcement: “We strongly welcome this package, which moves more money into arts in the North. In Greater Manchester we understand the importance of art and culture to the health and wellbeing of our people and the prosperity, attractiveness and vibrancy of our places.

Rotherham Council’s Leader, Clir Chris Read added: “We are delighted with today’s news of increased investment in Rotherham from Arts Council England that will see Arts Council investment in Rotherham rise by more than 200%, helping to safeguard and increase employment in one of the fastest growing sectors in our economy.”

Investment in organisations as part of the 2023-26 Investment Programme is due to start from 1 April 2023.

ACE has announced that organisations leaving the current portfolio may apply for transition funding, to support them with preparing for the change.

It said: “It is our intention to address levels and duration of transition funding to ensure leavers are not disadvantaged by the pause.”

The full lists of museums and museum support organisations to receive funding is:

Organisation 2023-26 Annual Funding Area
Association of Independent Museums

£ 305,520

North
Barnsley Museums

£ 475,084

North
Beamish Museum

£ 444,813

North
Bedford Borough Council

£ 65,000

South East
Birmingham Museums Trust

£ 1,026,107

Midlands
Black Country Living Museum Trust

£ 760,120

Midlands
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery

£ 148,000

North
Bradford Museums & Galleries

£ 381,770

North
Bristol Museums

£ 1,364,320

South West
British Motor Industry Heritage Trust

£ 224,048

Midlands
Bucks County Museum

£ 101,840

South East
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust

£ 249,508

South East
Colchester Borough Council

£ 398,016

South East
Collections Trust

£ 234,232

Midlands
Compton Verney House Charity

£ 152,760

Midlands
Cornwall Museums Partnership

£ 621,224

South West
Creswell Heritage Trust

£ 358,375

Midlands
Culture Coventry

£ 407,360

Midlands
Derby Museums

£ 550,099

Midlands
Doncaster Heritage Services

£ 101,840

North
Exeter City Council

£ 618,363

South West
GEM – Group for Education in Museums

£ 170,000

South East
Gunnersbury Park Museum

£ 129,500

London
Hastings Museum and Art Gallery

£ 150,000

South East
Hull City Council

£ 1,112,243

North
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust

£ 749,709

Midlands
Jarrow Hall

£ 125,000

North
Jewish Museum London

£ 224,000

London
Kids in Museums

£ 162,944

London
Kirklees Museums and Galleries

£ 284,103

North
Lapworth Museum of Geology

£ 106,673

Midlands
Leeds Museums and Galleries

£ 1,619,256

North
Leicester City Council

£ 407,360

Midlands
Leicestershire County Council

£ 260,999

Midlands
Lincolnshire County Council

£ 205,910

Midlands
London Transport Museum

£ 253,582

London
Luton Cultural Services Trust – Wardown House

£ 332,638

South East
Manchester City Galleries

£ 1,627,056

North
Manchester Jewish Museum

£ 112,024

North
Museum of East Anglian Life

£ 358,218

South East
Museum of English Rural Life

£ 304,499

South East
Museum of London

£ 1,120,240

London
National Football Museum

£ 350,000

North
National Justice Museum

£ 244,416

Midlands
National Paralympic Heritage Trust

£ 100,000

South East
Norfolk Museums Service

£ 1,375,308

South East
North Devon Council

£ 95,000

South West
North Yorkshire Moors Railway Trust

£ 250,000

North
Nottingham City Museums and Galleries

£ 474,775

Midlands
People’s History Museum

£ 327,925

North
Preston City Council

£ 229,140

North
Ripon Museum Trust

£ 142,576

North
Rotherham Museums, Arts & Heritage

£ 250,000

North
Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust

£ 711,360

South East
Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books

£ 588,230

North
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

£ 224,048

Midlands
Sheffield Museums Trust

£ 814,720

North
Shropshire Council

£ 188,999

Midlands
South West Heritage Trust

£ 212,600

South West
ss Great Britain Trust

£ 213,864

South West
St Albans Museums

£ 351,375

South East
St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery

£ 150,000

South West
Stockton Borough Council Tees Valley Museum Group

£ 601,900

North
Thackray Medical Museum

£ 225,968

North
The Bowes Museum

£ 374,572

North
The Foundling Museum

£ 150,000

London
The Garden Museum

£ 122,250

London
The Lightbox

£ 150,000

South East
The National Holocaust Centre and Museum

£ 400,000

Midlands
The Norton Priory Museum Trust

£ 136,500

North
The Postal Museum

£ 150,000

London
Touring Exhibitions Group

£ 160,000

Midlands
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery

£ 1,187,313

North
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

£ 3,357,648

North
University of Cambridge Museums

£ 617,534

South East
University of Oxford

£ 1,341,170

South East
Wakefield Council – Museums

£ 208,772

North
Wessex Museums Trust

£ 435,379

South West
West Northamptonshire Council

£ 150,000

Midlands
Whitaker Museum & Art Gallery

£ 159,933

North
Woodhorn Charitable Trust

£ 346,680

North
York Museums Trust

£ 1,252,632

North