Twenty‑four local museums across the UK have secured a share of £4 million in funding through the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, providing a major boost to museum infrastructure, exhibitions and accessibility.
The fund combines £2 million in match funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the independent grant‑making charity the Wolfson Foundation. It supports local museums by improving displays, enhancing collection care and making exhibitions more accessible to visitors.
Over the past 24 years, the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund has awarded more than £50 million, supporting over 440 museum and gallery projects across the UK.
The programme underpins the Government’s commitment to ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access arts and culture in their local communities, helping museums to safeguard collections while offering engaging, inclusive visitor experiences.
The latest grants form part of the 15th round of funding from the scheme.
On Thursday 9 April, Museums Minister Baroness Twycross and Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, visited Norwich Castle, one of the successful recipients.
Norwich Castle has been awarded £228,900, which will be used to:
- Upgrade gallery infrastructure
- Remodel and modernise display cases
- Reinterpret key collections
The improvements are designed to enhance the visitor experience, making collections more engaging, accessible and securely displayed for future generations.
Among the other funded projects, the Black Country Living Museum has been awarded £272,000 to revive its historic electric trolleybuses, which are currently inactive. The project will restore the use of electric trolleybuses, extend the route into the museum’s 1940s–60s High Street, and protect a nationally significant transport collection.
The scheme will transform access around the site and offer visitors a unique, immersive and environmentally sustainable experience.
The Museum of Hartlepool has received £218,400 to create a Temporary Exhibitions Gallery and Collections Care Facility.
Funding will support new display cases and modern lighting, improved flooring, and environmental controls to meet national conservation and security standards. These upgrades will deliver secure, climate‑controlled storage and exhibition conditions, ensuring objects can continue to inspire and educate visitors for generations.
Kirkleatham Museum has also been awarded £272,000, enabling it to reimagine its permanent galleries around three key themes:
- People and Place
- Industry and Innovation
- Heritage and Discovery
The project will redevelop core gallery spaces to create modern, accessible and inspiring displays that better reflect the stories, people and heritage of Redcar and Cleveland.
Baroness Twycross, Museums Minister, said:
“We want to ensure that everyone, everywhere can experience arts and culture in the area they call home and this fund plays a key role in making that possible.
“The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund demonstrates how public funding and private philanthropy can work together to open up access to museums and galleries for those who might otherwise face barriers, and help more people enjoy the UK’s world-class collections.”
The latest round of funding highlights the vital role local museums play in telling regional stories, caring for nationally significant collections and supporting local economies.
By investing in infrastructure, accessibility and conservation, the DCMS/Wolfson Fund ensures museums remain welcoming, resilient and relevant, while helping communities connect with their heritage in meaningful ways.
Image credit: iStock
