Michael Murray Development Manager – London Heritage Lottery Fund.

Michael Murray

Development Manager – LondonHeritage Lottery Fund

Collecting Cultures launched

£5 million available to MLA sector;

Grants between £50,000 - £500,000;

Application deadline 2 May

HLF has £402.5 million to spend in 2013/14, £375 m in 2014/15

The Black GardenerGarden Museum £60,000

What can weaken museum projects?1. Under-estimating resources required to develop and

complete the project– 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– 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– 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 UsLondon

Michael Murray020 7591 6183 michaelm@hlf.org.uk

Norma Pearson020 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