Alistair Hardaker | Image: Birmingham Museums Trust
Funding from DCMS/Wolfson scheme will enable physical improvements at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery to increase access to collections.
Birmingham Museums has been awarded a grant of £183,000 from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund to reopen two gallery spaces at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
The grant will fund physical improvements in the two galleries to increase access to the city’s global majority and contemporary arts collections. The spaces will be used for future exhibitions and programming.
The project forms part of Birmingham Museums Trust’s strategy to improve access to its collections and ensure its buildings and galleries can respond to future needs.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery closed in 2020 for essential repairs before beginning a phased reopening in October 2024. Many areas of the museum remain closed as the trust works on planning and fundraising towards a major redevelopment project that will see the remaining galleries reopen and further repairs to the Grade II* listed building.
Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “We are delighted to receive this significant investment from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.
“The funding will enable us to reopen two galleries at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, creating flexible, high-quality spaces that allow us to share more of our diverse collections with the public, in line with the recommendations made by our citizens’ jury.
“Crucially, it will help us tell a broader range of stories, ensuring that voices and perspectives that have been historically underrepresented are better reflected in our displays.
“This is a further step forward in making our museum more inclusive of and responsive to the communities we serve.”
The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund is a national scheme supporting capital projects in museums and galleries across England. The 2025–27 round offered grants of up to £400,000 for projects that improve the display and interpretation of collections, enhance access for wider audiences, or strengthen collections care and conservation facilities.
