Museums receive grants of more than £490,000

Three museums in Manchester are set to receive a total of more than £240,000 worth of grants.

The funding will support projects at the Manchester Museum, the People’s History Museum and Chetham’s Library.

Manchester Museum will receive £190,000 for their project ‘hello future’, which will create inclusive and imaginative exhibitions on zoology, earth sciences and archaeology.

Tullie House in Carlisle was the region’s biggest winner. It received a grant of £252,000 for the project ‘Dressed to Impress’.

The Museum looks after an outstanding collection of fine art, natural science and archeology.

The project will significantly improve access for visitors to an exhibition looking at changing fashion styles dating from 1720 onwards.

The grants are a share of £4m which is being handed out to increase access to collections across the UK.

Michael Ellis, minister for arts, heritage and tourism and Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation announced the funding.

The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund supports national and regional museums across England to improve the quality of displays, enhance exhibition spaces and public access, and increase awareness of their collections.

Jointly funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and philanthropic charity, the Wolfson Foundation, the fund has so far given £48 million to help 382 projects at 114 museum groups and galleries since it was started in 2001.

Michael Ellis said: “Our museums and galleries are among the best in the world and we are rightly proud of these institutions.

“The DCMS/Wolfson Fund demonstrates how the government and philanthropic organisations can work together to boost our museum sector.

“We want people up and down the country to enjoy culture and heritage wherever they are.”

Paul Ramsbottom said: “We are delighted to provide this funding through our longstanding partnership with DCMS – an excellent example of how we as a charity can work together fruitfully with government.

“We are grateful to DCMS for matching our funding.

“One of the great treasures of this country is the sheer quality and range of our heritage collections – stored and displayed in wonderful museums and galleries.

“This funding will help to provide even better visitor experiences and greater awareness of these fascinating collections.”

The successful museums and galleries are part of the thirteenth round of funding from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.