Museum of Chelmsford awarded major grant from UK Museum Renewal Fund

The Museum of Chelmsford has been awarded a significant grant of £236,000 from the UK Museum Renewal Fund to help it to develop as a more financially sustainable venue.

Nationwide grants for local authority-run museums

The Museum Renewal Fund is targeted at regional museums owned and directly maintained by local authority funding. The national £20 million pot was announced by the UK Government in April 2025.

The aim of the grant is twofold: to help meet shortfalls between operating costs and budgets in museums for 2025-26; and to fund initiatives to boost the financial resilience of civic museums.

Administered by Arts Council England, awards of between £10,000 and £1 million have been made to local authority-run museums across the UK.

Unlocking an ambitious future for the Museum of Chelmsford

Operated by Chelmsford City Council, the Museum of Chelmsford tells the story of the district from the Ice Age to the present day through artefacts, interactive displays and community-focused exhibitions.

Young families enjoying displays at the Museum of Chelmsford. Photo by Paul Starr.

This significant new grant from the UK Museum Renewal Fund presents a major opportunity for the museum to increase its ambition and secure a more sustainable future. Half of the grant will be dedicated to initiatives that will transform the visitor experience and deepen engagement, encouraging people to come back again and again.

These funds will be used to explore new strategic initiatives, including potential changes to the museum layout to improve visitor flow, the development of corporate partnerships and sponsorships, and finding innovative ways to generate new revenue.

Other key investments will include upgrades to the museum's website and ticketing platform to create a smoother visitor journey. New marketing campaigns will be launched to strengthen the museum's brand and attract new audiences, and fresh photography of its artefacts will be used to increase digital access to its large and diverse collections.

Supporting the museum’s running costs for 2025-26

A large part of the grant will also be used to boost the Museum of Chelmsford’s operating budgets for 2025-26.

Museums are costly to run, with the Museum of Chelmsford’s operating costs standing at £800,000 per annum (after income generated). Unlike DCMS-sponsored museums, the Museum of Chelmsford does not benefit from central government funding and is instead subsidised by Chelmsford City Council. Earlier this year, modest admissions and membership fees were introduced to support the cost of running the museum and help close the council’s ongoing budget gap.

With civic museums across the country facing similar budget pressures in recent years, the UK Museum Renewal Fund aims to provide temporary relief by allocating part of the £20 million pot to supporting day-to-day operating costs for the 2025-26 financial year.

Councillor Jennie Lardge says that, although the £236,000 grant doesn’t fully cover the Museum of Chelmsford’s running costs, this news offers some welcome breathing space for the museum:

“

“Regional museums are vital to local communities. They preserve our heritage, engage people in culture, and share local stories. But in recent years many have been navigating challenging times and facing critical funding gaps. If we are to protect our museums and see them thrive in the years to come, they will need to develop significantly and quickly to reach a much more sustainable financial footing.

“We’re delighted to see the Museum of Chelmsford benefit from the £20 million UK Museum Renewal Fund pot. Though this grant of £236,000 doesn’t cover all of the venue’s operating costs for 2025-26, it does provide some very welcome respite against immediate financial pressures. And most importantly, it gives the museum some space to become commercially fit for the future, serving our local communities for generations to come.”

Councillor Jennie Lardge, Cabinet Deputy for Cultural Services, Chelmsford City Council

All funds from the UK Museum Renewal Fund grant must be allocated by February 2026. Over the coming months, the museum team will be working to implement and test new ideas as part of the grant spending process.