The Art Fund provides funding to support museums, galleries and other heritage and visual arts organisations and their staff. This includes funding to improve and expand collections, research funding, student grants, and bursaries.
The following grants are currently open:
Acquisition Grants – to help museums and galleries purchase art for their collections. This can include purchasing objects of national or international importance and expanding collections into new areas.
Commission Grants – for exceptional projects with significant public impact including commissioning an artist(s) to create a new work of art for a museum collection
Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants – to help curators undertake research projects by supporting travel and other practical costs
Student Opportunities – grants up to £10,000 so that arts organisations can provide paid work-experience opportunities to full-time university students
Art Fund Curators’ Programme – 10 fully-funded bursaries for UK curators to attend a two-day programme in London in October
Jerwood Art Fund Commissions – support for museums and galleries to commission artists to make work of exceptional innovation and quality. The funding is for two commissions of £70,000 – £100,000. Apply by 2 October 2026
The Art Fund supports UK public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives that are open to the public. Other visual arts organisations can also apply for student opportunities funding.
There are separate criteria and deadlines for each programme – refer to the website for details.
Focus of fund/fund aims:
Funding to support museums, galleries, heritage organisations and visual arts organisations that are open to the public.
Application deadline:
Refer to the website for the next deadlines for each scheme