Rebecca Atkinson, DCMS announces £1.5bn to tackle underfunding across culture sector, Museums Association, 21 January 2026
Five-year investment also aims to ‘unite communities’
A highly anticipated funding announcement by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has confirmed that £1.5bn will be invested in cultural organisations over a five-year period – including £600m for its directly-funded museums and £160m for regional and local museums.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said the money aims to turn a corner on the underfunding that the sector has faced in the past 10-plus years. It will also tackle urgent capital repairs and “unite communities in the face of division”.
Read more: UK government earmarks £1.5bn arts funding until 2030