Museums Essex runs a Small Grants Scheme, supporting members to connect with audiences, effectively manage collections and improve organisational health. Since the scheme started in 2013 Museums Essex has awarded 55 grants, totalling almost £26,000 to 39 museums.
Round 10 – Winter 2022: Improving museum infrastructure
This grant will enable museums to improve various aspects of their infrastructure such as security, energy usage or climate control. By reviewing and improving areas such as these, museums may be able to save money and/or be better equipped to preserve vital collections for the benefit of the people of Essex and beyond.
Five grants of up to £500 are available.
Please ensure you read through the information document to ensure you fully understand what information the application is asking for and what supporting information should also be provided. For some answers it may be clearer to use bullet points rather than descriptive narrative.
The Assessment form has been shared for transparency, so that you can see how your application would be assessed by the grants sub-committee (Caroline Pantling, Philip Wise and Tony O’Connor).
Examples of eligible grant activity:
- Purchase of equipment such as climate control monitors for cases, UV filter film for windows, security alarms or CCTV.
- Hiring a specialist to carry out a review or options appraisal to improve an aspect of the museums infrastructure.
- Hiring a specialist to install new equipment.
- Deliver training for staff and volunteers in a related area.
Other areas may be considered by the Trustees if in their view they contribute to the ability of a museum to care for their collections appropriately.
Please return your application by email to: caroline.pantling@scouts.org.uk by Tuesday 28 February 2023.
Applicants will be informed of the outcome in late March 2023. Successful applicants will receive a cheque at this time and unsuccessful applicants will be given feedback on their applications and an indication on whether to submit a similar bid at a subsequent round.
Hear from recipients about the impact of our grants and get some ideas for your next application on our Case Studies page!
Eligibility
To be eligible for a Museums Essex Small Grant the organisation must be:
- a not-for-profit member of Museums Essex
- located within the historic county of Essex
- an organisation with publicly accessible collections.
Terms and conditions
- All objects requiring conservation or restoration must be owned by the applicant museum, gallery or heritage organisation.
- Applicants may be asked for a copy of their governing document to verify their not-for-profit status.
- Organisations that have applied for a grant before, whether successful or not, are eligible to apply, subject to having completed the required grant report where money has been previously awarded by Museums Essex.
Please note that the Museums Essex Small Grants Scheme is in addition to the Grant Scheme administered by SHARE Museums East, but could be used to compliment the SHARE Scheme.
Museums Essex 