Art Fund Acquisition Grants – Main Grant

Through our acquisitions programme, we give grants totalling between £3m and £4m every year to help museums and galleries acquire art for their collections.

We believe that new acquisitions allow museums and galleries to interpret the world, spark debate and provide fresh entry points for audiences.
We support the purchase of works of art and other objects of artistic interest dating from antiquity to the present day. We can also support the commission and acquisition of important new work, and we welcome proposals for exceptional projects with significant public impact. Applications for commissioned work are also considered as a part of our acquisitions programme.

Grants can range from a few hundred pounds, to hundreds of thousands.

Please contact us after reading the Guidance for applicants for further advice on your application.

What we can fund

• Objects of national and international importance, including high- value items subject to temporary export licence deferral or being offered with tax remission
• Objects of significant regional interest judged to be of good museum quality
• Objects which will artistically enrich collections and support the expansion and development of new areas of collecting