Museum Learning and Engagement Grant

The Museum Learning and Engagement Grant is a one-off, rapid-response grant programme supporting museums to develop and test new approaches to engaging children and young people in learning.  It prioritises areas of low cultural engagement and high deprivation, while generating evidence to inform future investment and programme development from 2027 onwards.

This is a time-limited, rapid-response investment designed to support museums during the transition period between the current and future museum education programmes. The Museum Learning and Engagement Grant is funded by Arts Council England and the UK Government.

The programme will:

• Enable museums to pilot new models of engagement with schools, including work with primary, secondary, SEND and home education settings
• Support activity in areas of low engagement and high deprivation, particularly DCMS Culture Priority Places
• Strengthen the role of museums in supporting curriculum learning, enrichment, and teacher development
• Build evidence and insight to inform future investment, programme design, and policy alignment
• Encourage flexible, locally responsive approaches tailored to the needs of schools and communities
• Support museums to test and develop a more sustainable and effective schools offer, including partnerships and delivery models
• Contribute to improved access, participation and learning outcomes for children and young people

The programme will run during 2026–27, with learning feeding directly into future programme development.

Eligibility

This grant is open to organisations that are:

• Located in the (Arts Council England) North area
• Museums that are Accredited (Full or Provisional)

The following museums and projects are not eligible:

• DCMS sponsored National Museums
• National organisations (e.g. English Heritage and National Trust sites)
• Non-Accredited museums or heritage sites that are not formally recognised as ‘Working Towards Accreditation’
• Projects that continue existing DCMS funded ‘Museums and Schools’ initiative – current ‘Museums and Schools’ funded organisations can only apply for funding for a new or different project

Award

Funding is available for grants worth £5,000 to £20,000 per application. The maximum grant is £20,000. Applications can benefit multiple Accredited Museums. An Accredited Museum can only participate in one grant funded project. It is highly unlikely that MD North will award more than one grant per applicant organisation. The total fund available for distribution is £123,000.

Deadline for Applications

12noon on 29th September 2026

How to Apply

It is mandatory to have a pre-application conversation with a member of the Museum Development North team. For further information, to ask a question about your proposed project, or to arrange your mandatory conversation, please email MDNsupport@museumdevelopmentnorth.org.uk with a 150-word overview of your project. Mandatory conversations must be scheduled on or before 22nd September and completed on or before 25th September. Access to the online application form will be provided after the mandatory conversation.

Please read the full guidelines here. A word version of the application is available here to help you plan your application. Word versions of the application will not be accepted – you will be sent a link to the online application after your contact with a member of the MDN team.

If there are access issues which make completing the online form difficult please let us know by using the MDNsupport@museumdevelopmentnorth.org.uk email.