The John Ellerman Foundation aims to advance the wellbeing of people, society and the natural world, by focusing on the arts, environment and social action.
The Foundation’s Museums and Galleries Fund is designed to help strengthen regional museums and galleries in the UK by helping organisations enhance and sustain curatorial development to attract a broader public.
The Fund is open to a wide variety of collection types and has previously supported visual and decorative arts, archaeology and social and natural history collections. The Foundation is particularly interested in receiving applications from those areas where it has made fewer grants, such as the East Midlands, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The average grant award is expected to be around £90,000, with around 5-6 grants expected to be awarded. Grants are normally awarded over 2 or 3 years. Applicants should plan for funded activities to commence from June 2024.
Priority is normally given to small and medium-sized museums and galleries with an income between £100,000 and £10 million and which are located outside of London. National and/or London-based institutions may also apply if their project brings significant benefits in the regions. Universities are eligible to apply but due to their size and relative financial stability are less likely to be successful and should contact the Grants Manager, Gareth Clayton (details below), at the Foundation to discuss their proposal before applying.
Applicants will be expected to demonstrate:
o A commitment to collaborative approaches, either as the focus of the request, or at a minimum with a strong track record of partnership working.
o Excellence in their field at a national level, and
o National significance, usually through a unique or high-quality collection.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply is available on the Foundation’s website.
The Foundation operates a a 2-stage application process. Applicants successful at Stage 1 will be invited to submit a full application form at Stage 2.
The programme has a deadline for applications of 5pm on Monday 8th January 2024.
