The Small Grant Fund supports museums to develop their work and deliver against the priority areas of Scotland’s museums and galleries strategy. The fund can support:
- Small scale project work
- Acquisition of equipment and other resources to address time specific needs
- Preparation and scoping work to plan and inform future strategic development
The grant outcomes are:
- Funded organisations will be more resilient
- Funded organisations will be more environmentally sustainable
- Collections will be better cared for and managed and more accessible
- The museum workforce will be more skilled, confident, and diverse
- A wider range of people will be engaging with and represented in museums
- Museums will enhance quality of life for people by improving wellbeing, supporting learning, or contributing to place-making
Who can apply?
- In order to be eligible for MGS funding organisations must be able to demonstrate compliance with the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First policy which requires workers to receive payment of the real Living Wage and have access to appropriate channels for effective voice.
- Organisations that run Accredited museums in Scotland
- Non-Accredited museums can apply for up to £10,000 - Alternatively, museums that have official “Working Towards Accreditation” status can apply for up to £3,000 from the fund for activity directly linked to achieving Accreditation
- Accredited museums on behalf of partnerships, which may include non-Accredited museums
- Formally constituted groups of museums (eg. geographical forums) which include Accredited museums which will benefit from the funded work
How to apply
Apply online via the Museums Galleries Scotland website.
Closing date: Wednesday 7 October 2026
