Michael Murray
Development Manager – London
Heritage Lottery Fund
HLF has £402.5 million to
spend in 2013/14, £375 m in
2014/15
Collecting Cultures launched
£5 million available to MLA
sector;
Grants between £50,000 £500,000;
Application deadline 2 May
The Black Gardener
Garden Museum £60,000
What can weaken museum projects?
1. Under-estimating resources required to develop and
complete the project
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Development phase too short to achieve ambitious fundraising
targets
Insufficient staff resources during development phase. Projects
under-estimate time required for project management and
fundraising/project oversight – generally two separate roles.
Insufficient contingency for historic building conservation, or
insufficient survey work (e.g. Honeywood)
2. Planning for sustainability
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How will you encourage people to come back after first visit/first
year?
On-going funding (e.g. commitments from local authority, ACE)
Governance issues
Business planning
What can weaken museum projects?
3. Insufficient consultation
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Planning permission
EH and amenity societies
Not embedded with wider community, voluntary sector (e.g.
volunteer recruitment, partnerships with non-heritage
organisations)
What can weaken museum projects?
4. Other issues
– Impact of changes in staff on project development and
design (e.g. new curator with different ideas on
interpretation)
– Lack of ambition related to new audiences development,
capital or activity programmes
– Not considering the wider museum context (e.g. external
landscaping)
– Unsatisfactory building design
– Poor accessibility
– Insufficient digital infrastructure and licences
– Insufficient information on significance of the collection
– Budgeting errors/value for money
How do we assess
applications?
• Heritage importance
• Need or opportunity
• Why now / why lottery funding?
• What outcomes will the project
achieve?
• Value for money
• Project well planned?
• Financially realistic?
• Sustainability
How can the development team help?
Provide advice and support before you apply
Project enquiry form/ expression of interest forms available
on our website
Project enquiry stage –
some common themes:
• Uncertainty about HLF grant
process, confusion about timescales
• Focus on the ‘physical’ and people
can be neglected
• Lack of overall strategy and why this
project should happen now
• Speak to the sector, those who’ve
been through a similar process
• Capacity of the organisation to
deliver project, and sustainability in
the long term, and being realistic
• Not reading HLF’s guidance!
Contact Us
London
Michael Murray
020 7591 6183 michaelm@hlf.org.uk
Norma Pearson
020 7591 6190 normap@hlf.org.uk
Helen Greer
020 7591 6174 helen.greer@hlf.org.uk
Gillian Goode
020 7591 6265
gilliang@hlf.org.uk