Over £1 million awarded to Scottish museums and galleries via Museums Capital Resilience Fund

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) has announced that 39 museums and galleries across Scotland have been awarded over £1 million in funding from the Scottish Government.

The Museums Capital Resilience Fund supports capital costs for museums and galleries throughout the country to improve the experience for their communities and to welcome back visitors. The grants are designated to support museums and galleries to build financial and organisational resilience after the loss of income caused by the pandemic.

The grants will be used by some of the 39 organisation to undertake essential maintenance in order to keep public spaces safe and open, and many of the awarded museums have used the fund to reduce carbon emissions by installing renewable energy sources and improved insulation.

Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “I’m particularly pleased that many of the 39 recipients are using their grants to operate more sustainably by introducing energy-efficiency measures.”

“Museums and galleries have an important role to play in our post-pandemic recovery through their economic contributions and the sense of well-being they give to the people who visit them.”

Comunn Eachdraidh Nis (Ness Historical Society) is among the organisations to receive funding.

Joan Mackay, chairperson at Comunn Eachdraidh Nis said the grant will fund the installation of external wall insulation and render to the museum store and workshop.

“This renewable technology will be better for our collection and running costs and carbon emissions will be further reduced. The approval of this grant means the entire CEN site is now powered by renewable energy sources,” said Mackay.

In March a further £160K was awarded to 19 museums and galleries through Museums Galleries Scotland’s Small Grants Fund, to support museums to get back on track with activity whilst still dealing with COVID-19 related financial challenges.