Renaissance funding announced

The Regional Museums Task Force called for significant extra investment from central government to support the improvements recommended in Renaissance in the Regions - in total, some £250 million over five years. The sector was delighted when the then Chancellor, Gordon Brown, made specific reference to regional museums in his 2002 pre-budget report.

In October 2002, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced that it was to allocate £70 million over four years to support Renaissance. This is less than was requested, but a significant step towards achieving the vision. It was the first ever sustained revenue funding of its kind from central government. The money was used to introduce the first phase of the new regional museum framework.

Click here for the next step in the history of Renaissance: review of Renaissance complete.