Birmingham Museums awarded nearly £185,000 to reopen gallery spaces to increase access to under-represented collections

• Award is from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund
• Grant will fund essential physical improvements at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
• Reopened spaces will increase access to city’s global majority and contemporary art collections.

Image credit: Birmingham Museums Trust

Birmingham Museums has been awarded a grant of £183,000 from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund to support a gallery development project at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery to bring more of the city’s diverse collections back on public display.

The grant funding will enable essential physical improvements in two galleries, allowing these spaces to be reopened to increase access to the city’s global majority and contemporary arts collections and to be used flexibly for future exhibitions and programming.  

The project forms part of Birmingham Museums Trust’s wider strategy to improve access to its collections, enhance visitor experience and ensure its buildings and galleries can respond to future needs.

The redevelopment of these galleries marks a further step forward for the reopening of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, which closed in 2020 for essential repairs before the start of a phased reopening in October 2024.

Many areas of the museum are still closed as the trust works on planning and fundraising towards a major redevelopment project that will see the remaining galleries reopen, further repairs to the Grade II* listed building, improvements to access and displays that speak to the people of Birmingham.

Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said:

“We are delighted to receive this significant investment from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.

“The funding will enable us to reopen two galleries at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, creating flexible, high-quality spaces that allow us to share more of our diverse collections with the public, in line with the recommendations made by our citizens’ jury.

“Crucially, it will help us tell a broader range of stories, ensuring that voices and perspectives that have been historically underrepresented are better reflected in our displays.

“This is a further step forward in making our museum more inclusive of and responsive to the communities we serve.”

The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund is a national scheme supporting capital projects in museums and galleries across England.

The 2025–27 round offered grants of up to £400,000 for projects that improve the display and interpretation of collections, enhance access for wider audiences, or strengthen collections care and conservation facilities.