The Art Fund has launched RENEW, which makes available £600,000 to help museums build bold new collections.

Art colleges across the country are taking part in the National Art and Design Saturday Club Scheme, which aims to give artistically gifted children from disadvantaged backgrounds a chance to develop their skills.

On Tuesday, the Museums Association board of trustees called for the creation of a sector led framework, to assist ACE when deciding to fund regional museums.

In 2009, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation commissioned Dr Bernadette Lynch to research levels of engagement within museums and galleries.

Museums at Night is an annual event aimed at raising the profile of the UK’s museums sector.

Vote now to see your favourite museum make it through to the last round of the Art Fund Prize, which will see one institution crowned “Museum of the Year” and awarded £100,000.

On Wednesday the Art Fund announced an increase of its funding, for museums and galleries to buy and show art, by over 50% by 2014.

In response to the shifting of responsibilities from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to the Arts Council, both organisations have released a ‘road map’ of museum Renaissance funding for 2011/12 and beyond.

It was confirmed Thursday 9 December that Arts Council England (ACE) are to take control of certain museum and library functions following the abolition of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).

On Tuesday, Culture, Communications and Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey announced the transfer of responsibilities for museums and libraries development.

Building on the work of the independent Review of Renaissance, last year the MLA developed a National Action Plan for Museums: LeadingMuseums, A Vision and Strategic Action Plan for English Museums. The plan envisaged a future where excellent regional and national museums developed their collections in ways that reached beyond their walls and put people first.

To allow for the summer holidays, Northern Ireland’s Culture Minister Nelson McCausland has extended the draft Museums Policy consultation deadline for a further five weeks to 30 September 2010.

Last month, the NCA informed members of Northern Ireland’s Culture Minister, Nelson McCausland’s, plans to hold a consultation on a museums policy for Northern Ireland. 

Culture Minister Nelson McCausland MLA (DUP) launched a consultation on a museums policy for Northern Ireland this week. The consultation meets a commitment made by the Minister to the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee’s Inquiry into the need to have a museums policy for Northern Ireland. The policy document sets the framework for the development of Northern Ireland’s national and local museums over the next ten years

Yesterday, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced which projects were to be axed as part of a range of cuts totalling £73 million.

Arts Council England (ACE) today outlined how it would apportion the £19 million in-year budget cuts. In brief, it has been able to use £9 million of its historic reserves to mitigate the cuts to RFOs and cap these at £1.8 million, a 0.5% reduction across the board. This means that the average cut to arts organisations is £2,000, with the range varying from £142,000 to £105. 

On Thursday 10 June 2010, the NCA and Arts & Business launched a new forum to represent the UK’s cultural sector in the debate on how best to reanimate private sector cultural funding in this period of economic difficulty.

The NCA was in attendance at Toynbee Hall as Munira Mirza unveiled the Mayoral Cultural Strategy for 2012 and beyond. Topics addressed during the presentation included education, environmental sustainability and the improvement of arts provision for London’s outer boroughs.

Following the rather gloomy news from the Treasury we can, perhaps take some small comfort from two recently announced consultations which may pave the way for new avenues of funding for the sector.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland, the organisation set to take over the reins of Scotland’s cultural stewardship from the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, has announced that he wants to see Scotland in the top 10 ‘cultural nations’ within five years.