The Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) is an open-access capital fund targeted at non-national Accredited museums and local authorities based in England to apply for funding to undertake vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance backlogs which are beyond the scope of day-to-day maintenance budgets.
The criteria for the Museum Estate and Development Fund, which has a budget of £23.8 million for Round 4, have been set by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Arts Council England, Historic England (HE) and The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). The grants are administered, awarded and monitored by Arts Council England. Funding has been provided by DCMS.
Through implementing improvements to core infrastructure, MEND will support museums to achieve the following outcomes:
- Become more financially resilient and environmentally responsible.
- Increase the environmental performance of buildings and equipment to help reduce carbon emissions in the museum sector.
- Improve access for disabled people and accommodate diverse user needs, and
- Strengthen contributions to local communities and regeneration by preserving landmark buildings.
Grants of between a minimum of £50,000 and a maximum of £5 million are available. Applications towards the lower end of this scale are more likely to be successful. Applications in the area of £5 million will be exceptional.
The deadline for submitting an Expressions of Interest is 12pm (midday) on Thursday 18 April 2024.
For applicants that progress to the Full Application stage, the full online application form will open on Grantium (the Arts Council's Application portal) at 12pm (midday) on Tuesday 28 May 2024. The deadline for submitting a full application is 12pm (midday) on Thursday 15 August 2024.
Applicants will be notified of the Arts Council's decision in March 2025.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply can be found on the Arts Council England website.