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Designation Development Fund

The new Designation Development Fund (DDF) will replace the Designation Challenge Fund, which since 2002 has invested £13m of Renaissance funding to improve the management and accessibility of Designated collections in museums.

The initial £1.5m funding from Renaissance for museums, and the additional amount for libraries and archives, will be primarily directed towards four key areas of Designated collections - care of collections, researching and understanding collections, making collections accessible and making collections sustainable.

Organisations holding Designated collections and wishing to apply for funding should contact their MLA Regional Manager in the first instance to discuss an application and to seek further guidance.

Please note that the deadline for initial Outline proposals is 31 December 2009.

MLA has conducted extensive research into how it can improve support for organisations that hold Designated status in dialogue with the collection holders, including independent research by Firebird.

Following the Firebird report and wider evidence gathering, including previous Designation funding data, MLA has developed a Value Statement to support the Designation Scheme and provide strategic vision for future initiatives associated with the Scheme. This Statement sits within the overall MLA approach to sector improvement for museums, libraries and archives and builds on Leading Museums and utilises the Renaissance outcomes framework.

November 2009