Each year Cambridgeshire County Council awards small grants to Cambridgeshire’s Accredited museums. The funding is from Cambridgeshire County Council, the ACE (Arts Council England) Museum Development Programme for the East of England.

In 2025-26 grants were up to £500 and were allocated in one round and projects were completed by February 2026. Cambridgeshire County Council, ACE and MDSE were keen to continue to support the Arts Council’s 4 investment principles. A total of 11 awards were made, with total value of over £4800. The projects varied from conservation reports to new environmental monitors.

Here is a snapshot of some of the successful projects from 2025-26.

1 – Norris Museum – Conservation report for samplers

The grant was used to commission a qualified textile conservator to carry out a full condition assessment of 12 historic embroidery samplers held in our collection. These pieces are in varying states of preservation, with recent internal reviews identifying visible signs of deterioration.

This project has been essential because the samplers represent a valuable but currently under-researched area of their collection: the creative work of women. Without intervention, these fragile textiles risk further damage or even permanent loss.

2. St Neots Museum – refurbishment of volunteer kitchen

The grant was used to support the refurbishment of the volunteer kitchen which has not been upgraded since the Museum was formally opened in 1995. The kitchen is used daily and provides free tea, coffee and biscuits for the volunteers as a small token of appreciation for giving up their time.  It is also an information hub, containing a notice board for volunteer-specific information and opportunities to be involved in forthcoming events and activities. The refurbishment was carried out by the volunteers with the funding being used to purchase new materials which have made better use of the space and provide improved and more convenient facilities for the volunteers. 

3. Whittlesey Museum – new environmental monitors

Whittlesey Museum had old and faulty Temperature and Humidity recording equipment which was in urgent need of replacement. This new equipment allowed them to better understand the environmental conditions of the collection and is vital to the ongoing collection care and monitoring.