Final Round of Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) to Open on 4 March

The Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) is provided with funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and administered, awarded and monitored by Arts Council England (ACE).

By: Deia White / 19 February 2024

The Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) is provided with funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and administered, awarded and monitored by Arts Council England (ACE).

This is the final round of the fund, and there is a total of £23.8 million with grants of between £50,000 and £5 million.

The funding is intended to 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.
Strengthen contributions to local communities and regeneration by preserving landmark buildings.

Applications will be considered from:

Non-national Accredited museums based in England.
Local authorities based in England who are responsible for maintenance of non-national Accredited museum buildings.
Partnerships between a local authority and a non-national Accredited museum based in England. Lead applicants must be registered with Companies House and/or with the Charity Commission or similar regulatory authority.
Non-national accredited museums who submitted an expression of interest or application in rounds one, two and three can apply to round four so long as the application is for a new project or a new phase of the previously funded project.

The fund will be investing in the following broad categories:

Protecting fabric/longevity of the structure.
Protecting the exhibits and collections.
Upgrading building services.
Dealing with equality and accessibility issues.
Improving environmental performance of museum infrastructure through repairs.

Round 4 activities must start no earlier than 17 April 2025 and no later than 17 May 2025. The deadline to complete activities and claim final payment is 31 March 2028.

Webinars for Round 4 will be held on: