Open Grants

MD North Open Grants are a major part of the Museum Development North programme using our core funding from Arts Council England.

What are they for?  
These grants are to support organisational development that help museums to meet or go beyond the requirements of the Accreditation Standard.

By organisational development we mean interventions that might:

  • Build your museum’s capabilities and capacity to achieve your long-term goals
  • Improve performance of how you plan for and deliver some of your services
  • Support testing, trialling or changing approaches to the way you work
  • Enable your workforce to flourish, thrive and have meaning in their work

All projects must also demonstrate how they deliver against the Arts Council England’s Investment Principles in ACE’s Let’s Create:

  • Ambition and Quality
  • Dynamism
  • Environmental Responsibility
  • Inclusivity & Relevance

Who can apply? 
These grants are available to the following types of museums:

  • Museums in the north of England which are Accredited, hold provisional status, or are formally Working Towards Accreditation
  • Museums that are not Accredited, or not formally Working Towards it, can be part of a project involving a partnership of museums, but an Accredited museum must be the lead partner.

The following museums are not eligible:

  • National Portfolio Organisations and DCMS sponsored National Museums.

How much can we apply for? 
The maximum amount an individual museum can apply for is £5,000.

Multi-site organisations, partnerships and consortiums can apply for £7,500 where the funding will benefit more than one Accredited museum, including those officially Working Towards Accreditation.

We may release up to 90% of the grant value on signing the grant acceptance letter; with the remainder on completion of the project, submission of final report and proof of expenditure.

When can we apply? 
Two rounds of Open Grants have been awarded so far and another two rounds of grants are planned for 2025:

  • Round 3 opens on 13 January and closes on 4 April 2025
  • Round 4 will open in June 2025 and close in September 2025

All project funds must be spent and completed with final reports and invoices submitted to MD North by:

  • Round 3: 31 October 2026
  • Round 4: 31 January 2027

How do we apply? 
The full guidance and the link to the online application form will be available on our website the day each round opens for application.

A word version of the application form will also be available so you can plan and write your bid ahead of copying and pasting it into the online form.

You must talk to a Museum Development Adviser from MD North before you apply, ideally giving plenty of time for us to respond ahead of the application deadline.

This means that MD North can:

  • Give you advice on if your project proposal fits the purpose of the Open Grants and will help you respond to the guidance
  • Help you to develop good responses around how your project supports the ACE Investment Principles and application questions
  • Gain extra insights and context to your application that we can take to the Open Grants Assessment Panel to support your application

Grant guidance for the next round will be available on 13 January 2025.