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14th January 2025 14:27 - Culture and Heritage

Despite a surge in visitors, 11% of Scotland's museums and galleries fear they may close within the next year. 

A survey has found that despite an overall increase in visitor numbers (15.4 million in 2023/24 vs. c. 5.2 million in 2021/22) just over one in ten (11%) museums and galleries in Scotland believe they are in a precarious financial position. Rising expenditure, a lack of reserves, and the impact of inflation have led some to believe the threat of closure is a real possibility.

The research, commissioned by Museums Galleries Scotland received feedback from 114 museum organisations in Scotland. Of those surveyed, 63% said they had experienced an increase in their expenditure between 2023 and 2024 and 52% reported an increase in their income and/or budgets. However, when accounting for the effects of inflation, it appears that nearly three-quarters (75%) of respondents experienced a decline in their income /budget in real terms over the same period.

When asked to estimate how many months they could sustain their operations based on their current reserves 34% of respondents indicated that they could continue their operations for 12 months or longer. However, over a quarter (28%) of participants felt they could manage for just 0 to 3 months, further highlighting the financial vulnerability and challenges some museum organisations are facing.

On a positive note, when asked about their fundraising strategies, the survey found that 63% of respondents said they had a fundraising strategy in place for their museum. This represents a significant increase of 21% compared to the last survey conducted in 2022, which showed that only 42% of respondents reported that they had implemented a fundraising strategy. Conversely, this still means that more than a third (37%) of the museums surveyed in 2024 still lack any formal fundraising plans, potentially missing out on vital funding opportunities.   

Museums Galleries Scotland CEO Lucy Casot said: Cost pressures and funding cuts mean our museums and galleries are looking less financially resilient, with a number at risk of closure. Such shutdowns would pose serious questions for the future of nationally important collections which are held around the country for the benefit of the people of Scotland.

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