Bloomberg Philanthropies programme to support museum’s digital projects

A total of 46 UK museums and arts organisations have been selected to take part in a $30 million (£24.9 million) Digital Accelerator Programme, designed to assist in improving technology projects within cultural institutions.

The programme comes from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which handles the charitable giving of founder Michael R. Bloomberg, a US business mogul and former Mayor of New York City.

The programme will see each selected organisation designate an existing member of staff to become a ‘Bloomberg Tech Fellow’, who will drive the development and implementation of their digital project.

In the UK, Bloomberg Philanthropies will work with Arts Council’s Digital Culture Network, which will provide strategic assessment and implementation guidance to the Bloomberg Tech Fellows.

The remaining 57 US organisation will receive guidance from the Lapine Group.

Patricia E. Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, said: “When the pandemic hit, cultural organisations everywhere got creative and adapted quickly to keep their virtual doors open. Now we’re excited to help further innovations and investments that are key to their long-term success through the Accelerator Programme.”

Seven Stories, a museum and National Centre for Children’s Books is among the organisations taking part. Wendy Elliott, its CEO said: “As the National Centre for Children’s Books, it’s critical that our archive, programme and resources can reach children and young people across the whole country and this can only be delivered via a robust digital infrastructure.

“Building on the success of our latest digital exhibition, we intend to work with the Bloomberg Philanthropies team to future-proof our systems to ensure we can deliver more innovative and creative ways to engage with our audiences.”