Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: Museums’ digital innovation and engagement fund

Opportunity status:
Closed
Funders:
UK Research and Innovation
Funding type:
Grant
Total fund:
£400,000
Maximum award:
£50,000
Publication date:
11 November 2020
Opening date:
Closing date:

Apply for funding for digital innovation and engagement activities in your museum.

Funds can be used to:

  • start new activities
  • grow existing activities
  • evaluate your activities.

Your museum must be an institutional member of the Museums Association. It does not need to be an independent research organisation.

Projects can be up to one year long.

We fund 100% of your project’s budget.

UKRI is partnering with the Museums Association to deliver this funding.

Who can apply

Applicants, or lead applicants in a partnership, must be institutional members of the Museums Association, or be an Arts Council accredited museum (or formally working towards accreditation, or able to demonstrate equivalent long-term care of and access to their collections).

See the full opportunity details on the Museums Association’s website.

What we're looking for

The project must:

  • seek to engage at least one underserved audience or community as defined by the applicant. The applicant should refer to evidence of need or demand from their underserved audience
  • use an existing museum collection to engage and inspire audiences or communities
  • build on and demonstrate an understanding of existing innovation for audience engagement. This can be your own audience engagement, for example digital engagement as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, or a thorough review of examples of best practice to kick start your own innovative engagement activities
  • include robust plans for evaluation and learning dissemination, including participation in the Museums Association’s Collections Network and scheme level evaluation.

Applicants must demonstrate that their project falls outside ‘business as usual’ but fits into the organisation(s) long-term plans, mission and vision.

See the full opportunity details on the Museums Association’s website.

How to apply

All applications must be made to the Museums Association.

There is a two-stage application process:

  • expression of interest, closing 21 December 2020
  • second stage, by invitation only, closing 22 February 2021.

You must contact the Museums Association to discuss your eligibility and ideas before applying.

See full details on how to apply on the Museums Association’s website.

Contact details

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