Arts Council England has today announced the 16 Major partner museums that will together receive £20 million a year in funding for the next three years through its Renaissance programme for regional museums.

Following its assumption of responsibilities for museum development from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) last year, the Arts Council received 29 eligible applications for Major partner funding, requesting a total of £116.4 million over three years.

The 16 successful applicants requested £23.5 million a year against an annual budget of approximately £20 million. The exact amounts of each major partner's award will be finalised as part of the negotiations of their funding agreements and published in April.

The Major partners are:

•    Beamish and Bowes Museum
•    Birmingham Museums Trust (Birmingham City Council, Thinktank)
•    Bristol City Council
•    Cumbria Museums Consortium (Tullie House, Wordsworth Trust, Lakeland Arts Trust)
•    Horniman Museum and Gardens
•    Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
•    Leeds Museums and Galleries
•    Manchester Partnership (Manchester City Galleries, Manchester Museum, Whitworth Art Gallery)
•    Museum of London
•    Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service
•    Oxford University Museums and Oxfordshire County Museums Service
•    Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter and Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery
•    Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton and Hove
•    Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums
•    University of Cambridge Museums
•    York Museums Trust

Alan Davey, chief executive of Arts Council England, said: “The announcement of our 16 major partner museums is a significant step forward in the Arts Council’s closer relationship with the wider cultural sector.

“They have all been chosen for the excellence of their work, their innovative approaches to connecting audiences with their collections, and for their compelling plans for the future.

"We are excited to be working with them and we’re confident that together they have the skills and ambition needed to provide the sort of inspirational leadership and direction that will benefit museums and audiences across the country.”

Meanwhile, further details of the Renaissance Museum Development fund, designed to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the museums sector, have also been announced.

Applicants will bid to deliver development support for museums through local museum networks. The Museums Development fund will open to applications on 7 February 2012 and close on 7 March 2012, with a total of £8 million available between 2012 and 2015.

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