Museums Galleries Scotland
We're the national development body for Scotland's museum sector, supporting museums and galleries through funding, advocacy, advice, and events. 🏛️
- 🌈 Happy #LGBTHistoryMonth! To celebrate, we’ve invited three museums to share how they’re addressing the under-representation of LGBTQ+ people and themes in their exhibitions and displays. Read the 'Diversity on Display' series on our website: buff.ly/86mgsDS
- 📨 Find our latest stories, events and funding opportunities in our January Connect newsletter! 🔗 Read the newsletter: buff.ly/52TPBAM 🔗 Sign up to our mailing list: buff.ly/mRcmRFC
- ✅ The 2026 Scottish Elections are on the horizon, and we’re calling for politicians to recognise that #MuseumsMatter. Read our 4 key asks for political parties and find out how you can get involved in our campaign: buff.ly/H2gkBCr
- 🎉We've awarded £543,299 to nine museum organisations through round 2 of the Repair and Adaptation Fund. The funding will support essential repairs and conservation work, while also helping museums reduce their environmental impact and improve accessibility. Find out more: buff.ly/mWgOBxp
- Come along to our webinar on unlocking museum audience insights on the 11th of February! We will be hearing from the fantastic Christina Lister, an audience development and marketing consultant and author of ‘Marketing Strategy for Museums’. Sign up here: buff.ly/dDU9say
- We held a fantastic event at @edinburghprints.bsky.social last week for recipients of our Leadership Capacity Fund, as part of the Museum Futures programme. It was great to meet in person, and we look forward to catching up again soon! @scottishgov.bsky.social
- The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch starts today! The UK’s biggest citizen science wildlife survey is a great way to encourage visitors to connect with nature, and engage with families. What birds have you seen at your museum? Submit your findings here: buff.ly/J4NFcVb
- Kids in Museums have a great series of free online events coming up across January, February and March! Find out more on our website: buff.ly/MTn0MmY 📸 The Tall Ship Glenlee | c. Martin Shields
- Modern Apprenticeships 📢 We have 3 Lunch & Learn sessions (online + free) coming up which will give you an overview of different types of Modern Apprenticeships, what they entail and why they might be valuable. Find out more & book your space: buff.ly/JoPe0lf 📸 Modern One, NGS
- Are you interested in the new National Inventory of Living Heritage? We are looking for examples of Living Heritage from around the country, from oral traditions, to culinary practises. Our first online information session will be on the 22nd of January at 6pm. Sign up here: buff.ly/sWp5ZBp
- 🎉Over £280,000 has been awarded to five organisations through the Museum Development Fund. From Dundee to Shetland, the funded projects aim to enhance community engagement, upgrade facilities, and improve collections management. Find out more: buff.ly/kjERlWw
- Do you want to hear how your museum can contribute to the upcoming MGS election campaign? Come to our advocacy webinar on the 22nd of January. This is your opportunity to be among the first to learn about the campaign. Sign up now and make sure your voice is heard! Sign up here: buff.ly/8u2KDsH
- ❄️ Our office will be closed for the winter break from 22nd December to 5th January. Our shared inboxes may not be monitored during this time, and our main phoneline will only be available until 4pm on the 22nd. From everyone at MGS — thank you for a fantastic 2025, and enjoy the festive season! 🎉
- 🌟Save the Date🌟 Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy Symposium 2026 will be taking place on Wednesday 4th March, at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Programme information and bookings links will be made public at the beginning of 2026.
- Applications are open for the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year award! The award aims to celebrate outstanding work and projects across UK museums. Any UK-based public museum, gallery, historic place, library or archive is eligible. The deadline is 19th January. Find out more here
- 📢 Museums can submit expression of interest for the second round of our Small Grants Fund until 7th January & apply by 21st January. Accredited museums can apply for up to £15,000 and non-accredited museums can apply for up to £10,000! Find out more: buff.ly/XyTvJSB 📸 Glenfinnan Station Museum
- We are now more than halfway through Delivering Change, our collective effort programme to restructure as organisations based on anti-oppressive principles. Find out more in the impact report on our website: museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/project/delivering-change/
- 🎉 7 partnerships across Scotland have been awarded a share of £62,904 as part of Protection through Connection, a project developed by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Partnership and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players. 🔗Find out more: buff.ly/KZHoQZC
- As St Andrew’s Day approaches, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the outstanding work of museums and galleries across Scotland. Our #ScotlandHighlights2025 are just some of the many achievements that deserve recognition. What you are most proud of about your museum or gallery this year?
- We are at the Scottish Towns Conference in Glasgow today! Our Research Manager Heather will be at our stall all day to discuss the role museums can play in place-based working, and in building resilient, inclusive communities across Scotland. Don’t forget to say hi if you’re attending! #STP25
- 📢Applications are now open for Developing my Leadership 2026! This programme is delivered over 6 full days online by the social enterprise academy. Find out more: museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/event/developing-my-leadership-2026/ 📸 Edinburgh City Art Centre, c. Rob McDougall | 🎨Ade Adesina
- 💬BLOG | In this blog, Peter Hewitt, ICH Project Co-ordinator at MGS reflects on the exciting programme of activities at the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Scotland Conference which took place in Perth earlier this month: buff.ly/9YgywSz
- Scottish Museums were celebrated at @visit-scotland.bsky.social’s Scottish Thistle Awards last week! @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social received the National Innovation Award & several other museums received recognition for their work at a regional level. Find out more on our website! 📸 c. Olami Images
- Applications are now open for the Unlocking Potential Fund and the Innovation Fund! These Museum Futures grants are designed to improve financial sustainability, whether that’s maximising your organisation’s existing resources, or funding new ideas. Find out more here: buff.ly/RfmOMsI
- 🗞Find our latest news stories, events, and funding opportunities in our November newsletter: buff.ly/6rdULy2 🔗Subscribe to our mailing list: buff.ly/mRcmRFC
- BLOG| Supporting Anti-Racism The @museumsassociation.org 's Museum Essentials course by this name is a fantastic resource to get started with your anti-racist journey. 🔗Find out how and why we recommend using it: museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/blog-article/supporting-anti-racism/
- 🤞It’s Crossed Finger Selfie Day! We're celebrating the support The National Lottery Heritage Fund has given to Scotland's museum sector. They've helped fund many of our major projects this year, including: 🪢Protection through Connection 💥 Delivering Change 🌱Museum Futures
- 🎻NEWS | The Intangible Cultural Heritage in Scotland conference took place last Friday at Perth Theatre and online. Scotland’s cultural sector came together to celebrate the rich diversity of ICH in Scotland and identify areas for support. 🔗Find out more in our news story: buff.ly/zr5FuhS
- INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES WEEK | Did you know we provide free resources to help museums diversify their workforce? Access practical tools, programmes, and networks to support museums and galleries in building a more diverse and inclusive workforce here: buff.ly/0vNbjB9 📸 Tall Ship Glenlee | M. Shields
- Join us for a knowledge exchange on visitor perceptions and experiences with Dr Alejandro Bahena-Rivera. Alejandro will discuss how artworks, design, and interpretive labels can influence visitor experiences in museums Sign up here: buff.ly/zfrRrfe
- Members of the MGS team are at the COSLA conference today and tomorrow to connect with local politicians and Council officials who manage 127 museums across Scotland. If you're attending, come say hello to David, our Senior Advocacy and Public Affairs Manager and Heather, our Research Manager
- 🌊 BLOG | Snorkel safaris, sonar pulses, and recycled ‘trashion’ shows: museums are leading efforts to protect and promote Scotland’s marine life. Our latest blog post explores how museum exhibitions, activities, and policies are driving climate action in communities across Scotland: buff.ly/um6UuHQ
- Come along to our knowledge exchange with RSPB Scotland and learn how your museum or gallery can engage with citizen science and nature projects. Hope Busak and Angela Munn will be joining us to talk about how museums and galleries can get involved. Sign up here: buff.ly/r8NI9aY
- Want to get more out of your retail offering? Come along to our knowledge exchange with the Association for Cultural Enterprises and learn how to maximise the potential of your museum or gallery shop. Sign up here www.eventbrite.co.uk/manage/event...
- 👋 Yesterday, we went to Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries for our quarterly all-staff meeting! This was an opportunity for us to connect across departments and find out more about OnFife - their venues, collections, challenges and future plans! Many thanks to their team for welcoming us.
- 🎉 £600,000 has been awarded to 17 museum organisations across Scotland through the Leadership Capacity Fund. The new fund offers museum leaders a chance to create vital additional capacity, allowing them to devote time to future planning. Find out more: buff.ly/JoE5OZH
- 📹 Join our Digital Marketing Modern Apprentice, Lola on a visit to Glasgow Women's Library to Film with a professional camera as part of her diploma!
- Congratulations to SUSE on their 30th anniversary! An incredible milestone to reach on their journey to ensure that all people with disabilities in Scotland can access quality employment. Our senior programme capacity manager, Markus, thanked SUSE for their support on inclusive recruitment practises
- 📢 Accredited museums in Scotland can apply for up to £100k through our Repair and Adaptation Fund. The fund supports museums to make urgent repairs or changes to their building, which directly improve their resilience or accessibility. Round 2 is currently open for applications: buff.ly/wUam7Nj
- National Museums Scotland's inaugural Scottish Culture Comms Conference is taking place on the 13th of November at the National Museum of Scotland. This is an opportunity for comms professionals who work in culture and heritage to exchange knowledge. You can sign up here: buff.ly/ezPrH6A
- 📅 Join us on 27 Oct for a Knowledge Exchange event with Museum as Muck. We'll be joined by Michelle McGrath, Founder of Museum as Muck, who will share how the group formed in 2018 and has since built a community, whilst making change in the sector. 🔗find out more and sign up: buff.ly/Q8DIYRW
- Sign up for our online travel trade information session with VisitScotland on the 22nd October. Attendees will also hear about our funding opportunity to attend VisitScotland’s travel trade event, Connect, in April next year. Find out more here: buff.ly/munh2WO
- 🍎 ‘Mental Health for Managers’ is a webinar open to managers working or volunteering in Scotland’s museum sector, and is offered as part of the Museum Futures programme. The session aims to help you develope a fuller understanding of mental health in the workplace. Find out more: buff.ly/R2OHG6K
- 🎉 Today is Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Awareness Day! Our advice guides are here to support that and help people in the heritage sector better understand and incorporate intangible cultural elements into their work. 🔗 Follow the link to explore our guidance and resources: buff.ly/4Sz1P0w
- 👷 Join Jenny, our Senior Museum Development Manager, on a visit to Auchindrain to explore how this unique museum is working towards building a sustainable future. Jenny is there to understand what’s needed to support their vision, looking at what’s been achieved so far, and what lies ahead.
