Funding & Grants
NI Museums Council’s funding programmes help museums care for collections, improve visitor experiences, develop new services and invest in their future. Alongside the currently open Collecting for the Future Programme, we are pleased to launch two further funding opportunities on Thursday 24 September 2026. The Local Museums Small Capital Grant Programme and the new Digital Technologies Grant Programme offer support for a wide range of projects, from collections care and capital improvements to digital innovation and audience engagement. Explore the programmes below to find out how your museum could benefit.
About the Fund:
The Digital Technologies Grant Programme is a new funding opportunity delivered by NIMC and supported by Future Screens NI. The programme is designed to help museums use digital technology to improve public access to collections, develop new forms of engagement and strengthen their digital capabilities.
Grants of up to £10,000 are available for practical, innovative and sustainable projects that help audiences discover, explore and engage with museum collections both on-site and online.
Projects should contribute to one or more of the following objectives:
- Increase engagement with collections through digital interpretation
- Support lifelong learning and educational use of collections
- Improve discoverability through digitisation and online access
- Pilot innovative approaches using digital technology
- Strengthen museums’ digital capability and resilience
- Enhance accessibility for disabled visitors and underrepresented audiences
Examples of eligible activity include online exhibitions, virtual tours, interactive visitor experiences, accessible digital resources, educational content, mobile applications, website development, digitisation projects, collections management system enhancements and specialist digital consultancy support.
Key information
- Funding available: Up to £10,000 per project out of a total pot of £190,000.
- Match funding: 10%
- Application deadline: 12pm, Friday 30 October 2026
- Decisions expected: December 2026
- Project completion deadline: Friday 30 July 2027
- Eligible applicants: Accredited (Full or Provisional) non-national museums in Northern Ireland
Before you apply:
- Check that you are an eligible museum
- Discuss your proposed application with an NIMC staff member by e-mailing info@nimc.co.uk
- Deadline for applications: 12pm, Friday 30 October 2026
- Read the NIMC Conditions of Grant Award document
Please click below for further information and supporting documents.
Download Digital Technologies Grant Programme Application Form, Guidance Notes and Grantee Documents
About the Fund:
The Northern Ireland Museums Council’s Local Museums Small Capital Grant Programme supports accredited local museums to invest in equipment, infrastructure and minor works that strengthen museum services, improve access and protect collections. The programme brings together the priorities previously supported through the Local Museums Small Capital Grant Programme and the Museums Collections Capital Grants Programme into a single, more flexible fund.
Grants of £500 to £10,000 are available to help museums deliver capital improvements that contribute to improve:
- Collection care, preservation and sustainability
- Access and inclusion
- Learning and community engagement
- Climate action and environmental sustainability
- Sustainable public services and infrastructure
Funding can support a wide range of projects including collection storage equipment, conservation and environmental monitoring equipment, exhibition improvements, access adaptations, learning facilities, security systems, visitor infrastructure, energy efficiency measures and other capital investments that strengthen museum services and resilience.
Key information
- Funding available: £500 to £10,000
- Match funding: 10%
- Application deadline: 12pm, Friday 30 October 2026
- Decisions expected: November 2026
- Project completion deadline: Friday 12 March 2027
- Eligible applicants: Accredited (Full or Provisional) non-national museums in Northern Ireland
Before you apply:
- Check that you are an eligible museum
- Discuss your proposed application with an NIMC staff member by e-mailing info@nimc.co.uk
- Deadline for applications: 12pm, Friday 30 October 2026
- Read the NIMC Conditions of Grant Award document
Please click below for further information and supporting documents.
Download Local Museums Small Capital Grant Programme Application Form, Guidance Notes and Grantee Documents
About the fund
This fund is supported by the Esmé Mitchell Trust and enables accredited museums to apply for up to £2,000 towards the purchase of cultural and artistic objects in partnership with museum users and communities. This is a rolling programme running until 2028, with a total pot of £5,000 per year.
Please note:
Applications requesting up to £1,000 can normally be considered by the Chair of the NIMC Grant Committee outside scheduled meetings and are therefore suitable for time-sensitive acquisitions.
Applications requesting more than £1,000 and up to £2,000 require approval by the full NIMC Grant Committee. As the Committee normally meets quarterly, applicants should allow sufficient time when planning acquisitions, particularly auction purchases and other opportunities with fixed deadlines.
Before you apply:
- Check that you are an eligible museum
- Discuss your proposed application with Eva Lynch by e-mailing eva.lynch@nimc.co.uk
- Deadline for applications: Ongoing
- Read the NIMC Conditions of Grant Award document
Please click below for further information and supporting documents.