The Museum Estate and Development (MEND) fund is now taking applications. This funding stream is part of the Cultural Investment Fund (CIF) CIF is administered by Arts Council England (ACE) and is made up of three funding streams, the Cultural Development Fund, the Libraries Improvement Fund, and MEND.

MEND is particularly relevant for industrial heritage sites since it is an open-access capital fund targeted at non-national accredited museums and local authorities based in England with museums. Applications for funding can include vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance backlogs which are beyond the scope of day-to-day maintenance budgets. 

ACE wants to support maintenance work that will help recipients become more financially resilient, environmentally responsible, and better able to offer independent access for disabled people or accommodate more diverse user needs.  

The guidance can be find here. There is £18.8m available for England in 2021/22 with grants from £50k to £5m.