WIREDGOV

Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund are delighted to announce the launch of their new campaigns Unlocking Collections (the Arts Council) and Dynamic Collections (the Heritage Fund).

Following recommendations in the Mendoza Review that the two funding bodies work more closely together, the Arts Council and the Heritage Fund have created two new campaigns aligned to support the development of collections within museums, libraries and archives. These new campaigns will see the Arts Council and Heritage Fund work more closely together and provide even more support to museums, libraries and archives. 

The scope of each campaign covers a wide range of collections-based practice and will enable organisations holding collections to truly unlock the potential of the objects they hold. The Arts Council supports museums in England, while the Heritage Fund covers collecting organisations across the UK.   

Both Unlocking Collections and Dynamic Collections are priorities within existing open-access funding programmes.  The Arts Council’s National Lottery Project Grants hosts Unlocking Collections as one of its first Time-Limited Priorities, aimed at enabling the Arts Council to deliver its strategy.

 The Heritage Fund will support Dynamic Collections projects through its National Lottery Grants for Heritage and a range of other approaches, including digital resources and knowledge sharing.  

By working together, the Arts Council and the Heritage Fund will help organisations attract and engage even more visitors with their collections.  This will enable museums, libraries and archives to become more resilient and help the communities they serve recover from the pandemic. 

Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said “I’m delighted that as the development agency for museums we have been able to work closely with our colleagues at the National Lottery Heritage Fund to launch and deliver these campaigns.  The collections we hold in organisations up and down the country deserve to be seen, and we hope that by encouraging organisations to apply for funding through Unlocking Collections or Dynamic Collections, we will enable people to engage with a broader range of collections and bring them to life in an inclusive and relevant way.”.  

Eilish McGuiness, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund,said: “Working with partners across the UK, including Arts Council England, will help to focus and maximise support for some of the key challenges facing collecting organisations. Our ambition for more creative, relevant and sustainable use and management of collections UK-wide will be greatly enriched by working closely with others.”