Museum Estate and Development Fund: Round 4

This is an open-access capital fund targeted at non-national Accredited museums and local authorities based in England to apply for funding to undertake vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance backlogs which are beyond the scope of day-to-day maintenance budgets.

The criteria for the Museum Estate and Development Fund have been set by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Arts Council England, Historic England (HE) and The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). The grants are administered, awarded and monitored by Arts Council England. Funding has been provided by DCMS.  

Through implementing improvements to core infrastructure, MEND will support museums to achieve the following outcomes:   

• Become more financially resilient and environmentally responsible  

• Increase the environmental performance of buildings and equipment to help reduce carbon emissions in the museum sector 

• Improve access for disabled people and accommodate diverse user needs  

• Strengthen contributions to local communities and regeneration by preserving landmark buildings 

First things first: never applied to us before? 

Find out about how we work > 

Step 1: Read the guidance 

Read the guidance in full, to make sure you are eligible before you start your application. 

We recently held a webinar with more information about applying for MEND. You can now watch a recording of this session.

Watch now > 

Step 2: Register on Grantium and familiarise yourself with it 

Before you can start an application you need to create a user account and applicant profile. Please make sure that all the information in your Grantium profile is up to date before you apply. 

Our Grantium guidance can help you get to grips with using the system. 

Step 3: Any questions? Check our FAQs 

Read the FAQs for the programme on the next section of this page before you get in touch. 

These pages are updated regularly, with all our latest information and FAQs. 

Step 4: Expression of interest 

The online Expression of Interest form has now closed. Arts Council will be in touch with applicants in due course.

Step 5: Making an application 

If you are invited to submit a full application, the full online application form will open on Grantium at 12pm (midday) on Tuesday 28 May 2024. The deadline for submitting a full application is 12pm (midday) on Thursday 15 August 2024. 

Applicants will be notified of the decision outcome in March 2025. 

I applied to MEND in a previous round. Can I also apply in round four? 

Non-national accredited museums who submitted an expression of interest or application in rounds one, two and three can apply to round four. 

If you were awarded funding in rounds one, two or three then you cannot apply for additional funding for the same works.  

You can apply for a new project or a new phase of the previously funded project, but the new activity must not have been included in your original funded application and the budgets for the two projects (including partnership funding) must be entirely separate. 

When must the activity take place? 

Activity can start as early as 17 April 2025 but must start no later than 17 May 2025. The deadline to complete activities and claim final payment is 31 March 2028. 

Will there be a webinar for round four of MEND? 

The webinar for round four will take place on Tuesday 20 February 2024. You can book to attend via Eventbrite. 

How ‘recent’ does a recent costed condition survey need to be? 

Please make sure that you have updated the costs in your condition survey within the last 12 months. This will make sure that your cost plan accounts for inflation and is accurate as possible. 

If your application includes building services installations, then your costed condition survey should include these works. A second, buildings services-specific costed condition survey may be required if this is not covered in your initial costed condition survey. 

We have been invited to submit a full application, however our circumstances have changed since we submitted our Expression of Interest and we now need funding for different works. Can we apply for a different project or different amount? 

You can only apply for activity outlined in your Expression of Interest, to the maximum amount you requested in the EOI. You should not apply for more funding or for activities that were not detailed in your EOI. 

We recommend focussing your application on the most urgent aspects of the activities you outlined in your EOI. 

I have been invited to submit a full application. Is there anything I need to be aware of regarding the application process? 

• Historic England will be in touch directly to arrange a site visit before you submit your application.  

• Your costed condition survey should demonstrate the need for the work you are applying to us to complete. In place of a condition survey we can also accept relevant specialist reports as evidence. These reports must contain costings. 

• Historic England will send a report based on their findings to applicants and will share it with us. Applicants are expected to use this report to inform their application. Once applications are received, Historic England will read them and comment on whether their advice has been followed. 

• If your building is leased, and if there is a break clause in your lease, then if your application is successful, we will need to establish a deed of variation before you are able to draw down your first payment. You may wish to begin a conversation with your landlord regarding this now as the deadline would be 17 May 2025. 

• Due to the high demand for MEND, it is very likely that the panel will only support applications that focus on work that is highly urgent. Arts Council England reserves the right to make reduced offers at award stage (i.e. offering less funding than has been applied for) where, in its judgement, applicants have included work that is not highly urgent. 

• If your application is for over £1,000,000 you are asked to include proposals for how your project might be phased in your application. This would include providing a costed timeline, showing the most urgent works taking place first. 

Our lease has a break clause. How do we address this in our application? 

As set out in the MEND applicant guidance, we require all leases to be in place for at least as long as our security requirements, which are dependent on the size of grant you are requesting. This means that we cannot accept leases with break clauses. If your lease has a break clause you may be able to negotiate a Deed of Variation on the lease, to make sure it complies with these requirements. 

You may wish to begin this conversation with the building owner and / or your legal advisor at an early stage, as this will need to be in place prior to any grant funds being released. If you have been invited to submit a full application, we will ask you to provide a copy of your lease so we can check that it meets our requirements and provide instruction on any further action required. 

Completing the security requirements can take time, so we advise that you begin these conversations before you apply so there is minimal impact on your project timeline and cashflow. 

Where can I find out the requirements for RIBA Stage 3? 

As set out in the MEND applicant guidance, we require your project to be at RIBA Work Stage 3.  

RIBA Work Stage 3 is also known as the Spatial Coordination stage. At RIBA 3, the design should be at a stage where dimensions, areas and functional relationships are known, as well as coordinated proposals for structural design, building services systems and outline architectural specifications. 

You should also have prepared and submitted a planning application and application for listed building consent by the end of RIBA 3, if relevant to your project. 

For more information about RIBA 3, please visit the RIBA website. 

We are not using RIBA Plan of Work stages for our project – how do we address this in our application? 

RIBA design plans are not required for non-building projects such as the like-for-like mechanical and electrical replacements. You may also not need to follow RIBA Work Stages if your project involves mainly smaller works, repairs, and service replacements.  

However, if your project involves architectural changes or larger construction works, then it is likely you will. Please seek appropriately qualified advice to establish what is most appropriate for your project. 

It is a requirement of the MEND fund that projects are ready to start between 17 April and 17 May 2025 and that they are already at an advanced stage of development at the time of applying, hence the need to have completed at least RIBA Work Stage 3, or equivalent. 

What can be used as partnership funding in terms of costs already incurred in the development to RIBA Work Stage 3? 

If you have already incurred costs for external professional fees in the development of your project to RIBA Work Stage 3, you can count this expenditure as part of your partnership funding, as support-in-kind rather than a cash contribution. Please note however that no other expenditure prior to award and starting the project can be considered as either an eligible partnership funding contribution or a direct cost covered by the award. 

Can we use the grant for salary or other revenue costs? 

No, only capital costs are eligible. We define capital expenditure as an amount spent to maintain, repair, or improve fixed assets that will be capitalised on your balance sheet. 

How do we ensure our project complies with procurement regulations? 

As stated in our applicant guidance, it is essential that you comply by procurement regulations when buying any goods or services in relation to your project.  

You should also be aware that if the total value of your procurement meets or exceeds certain threshold values, then your procurement may be subject to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as amended (PCR) or the Procurement Act 2023 (PA2023) when this law comes into force.  Please note that any procurement activity that commences after the PA2023 comes into force will be governed by the PA2023 and not the PCR. 

The current thresholds, inclusive of VAT, are: 

• for works contracts (for example, contracts for the design and execution of construction work) £5,372,609; and 

• for supplies or services contracts £214,904 (or £139,688 if you are a central government authority). 

The new Procurement Act (PA2023) will make several significant changes across the board to the current rules including to the procurement processes.  The new Act is not finalised yet, there will be secondary legislation published around March 2024 which will add detail to some provisions so things may still change. 

Applicants should seek their own professional or legal advice how the procurement rules will impact them and what they must do to be compliant. 

The guidance states ‘general running costs or overheads such as, but not limited to, additional staffing and insurance’ will not be eligible for funding under MEND. Does this extend to staffing costs for managing the build project (for example, the appointment of a Project Manager)? 

The exclusion of ‘general running costs or overheads such as, but not limited to, additional staffing and insurance’ refers to the general day-to-day running costs or overheads of the Museum and any additional staff recruited to take part in the day-to-day running of the Museum while the project is undertaken.  

If a Project Manager is recruited externally to manage the works proposed, their contribution would be categorised under ‘fees and charges’ as outlined in the Expenditure section of the guidance, which covers expenditures such as ‘legal or consultant fees’. Further, staffing and / or Project Management costs can be included provided they are time limited and are required to deliver the project.  However, this will need to be capitalised on the balance sheet if being paid for by this fund. 

How recent must an access audit be to be supplied as a supporting document for MEND? 

It is expected that Accredited museums will have undertaken an access assessment within the last five years, though ideally more recently than this to give an up-to-date picture within the context of the access considerations and implications related to the work you are applying to us to fund. Accredited museums are required to have an up-to-date access assessment and policy, as well as demonstrable evidence of access planning (for example through a separate plan or within the forward/business plan). 

Are there any other documents the Arts Council would accept alongside or in place of a costed condition Survey for MEND? 

The MEND applicant guidance states that the costed condition survey ‘is a recent condition survey or relevant specialist report undertaken by an appropriately qualified professional’. It should support the proposed priorities and scope of works set out in your application.   

Other evidence to support the need for the proposed activity will be accepted in lieu of a costed condition survey if a costed condition survey is not appropriate to your project. In this case, any plan or document used to outline or demonstrate the need for the proposed project will be accepted, if a rationale is provided for its use.   

The MEND applicant guidance also provides further useful description around what we expect to see in a costed condition survey: Carried out on a regular basis, it considers the structure and condition of the property based on a detailed inspection of the building in order to establish its maintenance and repair condition at that time. It gives an indication of when future repairs, maintenance, decoration, and renewal of each part of the building should be anticipated. 

If your application includes building services installations, then your costed condition survey should include these works. A second, buildings services-specific costed condition survey may be required if this is not covered in your initial costed condition survey. 

Government Indemnity Scheme and MEND 

If your museum takes loans (or intends to borrow items) under Government Indemnity, we suggest you review the Government Indemnity Scheme Guidelines for non-national institutions at project design stage to ensure that the General security conditions and environmental conditions (Annex D) which apply under the Scheme are met. Please see the Guidelines on Arts Council England’s website. This also applies if borrowing loans from a UK National institution. 

Government Indemnity Scheme guidance  

Please contact the Arts Council Government Indemnity Scheme if the enquiry is not dealt with as part of this guidance. 

Will there be future rounds of MEND? 

Round 4 is the final MEND round, it was funded in the 2019 Spending Review as part of the government Cultural Investment Fund.  

Where can we get more support or advice? 

If you need to contact us, email our Customer Services at Enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk.  

Terms and Conditions 

The Standard Terms and Conditions for the Museum Estate and Development Fund Round 4 are subject to change before detailed funding agreements are finalised.   

You can also read the Terms and Conditions on this page. 

Watch the webinar recording or download the PowerPoint slides for the webinar below.