Ready to Borrow

** DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR ROUND 2 **

Ready to Borrow

Ready to Borrow is a programme of investment by Arts Council England (ACE) for the museums and libraries sector in 2016-18. Its aim is to enable Accredited museums to build their long-term resilience by facilitating more loans from National and Major Partner Museums, so increasing their audiences. SHARE Museums East is administering Ready to Borrow in the East of England on behalf of ACE and has been allocated £316,800 in 2016-18. Museums can apply for grants up to £50,000.

Funding is available for capital projects which enable museums to receive significant loans by meeting the requirements of lenders. Suitable projects could include installing new display cases, fitting appropriate lighting systems, improving security of premises, or installing environmental monitoring and control equipment. It could enable a museum to meet Government Indemnity Standard (GIS) for the first time, enabling it borrow from National museums.

All projects must be for capital expenditure, which is defined as funds spent on the purchase, improvement, restoration, construction or creation of an asset. 10% match funding is required, some or all of which can be in-kind support through staff and volunteer time, and other contributions.

Applications are now invited for round 2 of the funding, and we have just extended the deadline to 26 May 2017. Please see the Guidance Notes below for details of how to apply. Museums are encouraged to complete a Project Enquiry Form before submitting a formal application, and to work with your county Museum Development Officer (or other museum professional) to ensure strong applications. It is not essential to have a formal loan arrangement with a National or Major Partner Museum before applying, but a sound idea of which items you would like to borrow and what you must do to meet the lender’s conditions will be a definite advantage.

Making the Most of Loans – Small Grant Scheme

SHARE is pleased to announce that we are supplementing Ready to Borrow with small grants up to £1,500 to fund the non-capital aspects of borrowing. For more details, click on the link to the right hand side.