Council of Museums and Museum Fund

The role of the Museum Council is to support and enhance the professional work of accredited museums in Iceland. The Council's main task is to oversee museum activities in the country and to work on policy development in cooperation with the national museums. The Museum Council also handles the accreditation of museums, sets professional standards regarding facilities and registration systems, and provides reviews of grant applications from the Museum Fund. Through these tasks, the Museum Council contributes to quality, professional work, and the preservation of Iceland's cultural and natural heritage.
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About the Museum Council

The main role of the Museum Council is to supervise museum activities in the country, work on policy for museum work, discuss museum charters and accreditations, and provide opinions on grant applications to the museum fund.

Museum Fund

The role of the Museum Fund is to strengthen the activities of museums that fall under the Museums Act. To that end, the Fund may support the operations and define the projects of recognized museums and collaborative projects between such museums.

Accredited museums

The Museum Council sets conditions regarding housing, security, accessibility, registration systems and professional work that museums must meet in order to receive recognition from the Museum Council.

News and announcements

Icelandic Museum Awards to be presented in 2026

The National Gallery of Iceland received the Icelandic Museum Award 2026. On May 18, International Museum Day, the Icelandic Museum Award was presented at a festive ceremony. The Icelandic National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Association of Icelandic Museums and Museum Professionals (FÍSOS) jointly present the awards, which are given every two years to an Icelandic museum for outstanding work. President of Iceland Halla Tómasdóttir presented the awards at Kjarvalsstaðir and …

International Museum Day 2026

International Museum Day, May 18 – this year's theme is: Museums as Unifying Forces in a Fractured World. As a platform for education and knowledge, museums play an important role in promoting peaceful relations and mutual respect. In celebration of International Museum Day in May 2026, you are invited to help shine a light on this year's theme: Museums...

Main Allocation of the Endowment Fund 2026

The Minister of Culture has allocated funds from the main distribution of the Museum Fund for 2026. The Museum Council's distribution ceremony took place in the Picture Gallery of the National Museum of Iceland during a festive event attended by distinguished guests on Thursday, April 16.
Arna Kristín Einarsdóttir, Director of the Office of Culture and Creative Industries at the Ministry of Culture, Innovation, and Higher Education, addressed the guests and awarded 131 grants, totaling 182,700,000 krónur from the museum fund to 51 recipients. 
 Grants for one …

Allocation Notice of the Acquisition Committee of the National Museum of Iceland

Main Allocation 2026. The Council's allocation ceremony will be held in the Picture Gallery of the National Museum on Thursday, April 16, at 4:00 PM.  Arna Kristín Einarsdóttir, Director of the Office of Culture and Creative Industries at the Ministry of Culture, Innovation, and Higher Education, will award grants from the main allocation of the Museum Fund at a ceremonial event. The awards ceremony is immediately following the spring meeting of the National Collections and the Council for the National Collections at the National Museum of Iceland. At the Council for the National Collections meeting last December, …

Response plans requested – March 27, 2026

Accredited museums must submit a copy of their response plan to the Museum Council by Friday, March 27.   The Collections Council has been hosting webinars on creating response plans, in which all accredited museums have been offered the opportunity to participate in collaboration with conservator Nathalie Jacqueminet. The last webinar concluded last February, by which time all accredited museums should have had the opportunity to attend the course and receive …

Main Allocation 2026

The Minister of Culture has allocated from the main distribution of the Museum Fund 2026. From the main distribution of the Museum Fund 2026 on January 22, 2026, 182,700,000 krónur were awarded. One-year grants numbered 123, totaling 154,700,000 kr. to 51 grant recipients. Eight 2026-2028 flagship grants to accredited museums were awarded, as follows:  28,000,000 kr. for the year 2026, 29,000,000 kr. for the year 2027, and 16,000,000 kr. for the year 2028. Total amount of the Core Grants …

Revision of the ICOM Code of Ethics: Lecture and Discussion with Dr. Sally Yerkovich

The Icelandic Chapter of ICOM invites members, museum professionals, scholars, and stakeholders to a special meeting with Dr. Sally Yerkovich, who has led the revision of the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums in recent years. The meeting will take place at the premises of the National Museum Council on Thursday, March 5, from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, at Austurstræti 5, 4th floor. Hólmar Hólm, chairman of ICOM Iceland, will open the meeting and introduce the day's speaker. Then, Dr. …

Final day for separation reports – March 1, 2026

Forms for reports on the use of grants from the Collections Fund are now available, and the annual deadline is March 1, 2026. We encourage those who have received an extension or still need to submit older reports to do so as soon as possible, and we remind you that it is the grantee's responsibility to submit reports on time. If reports …

Supplemental Allocation from the Collections Fund 2025

Culture Minister Logi Einarsson has now allocated 20,692,500 kr. from the 2025 supplemental allocation of the Museum Fund. From the 2025 supplemental allocation, 70 grants were awarded to 37 accredited museums, 50 grants are for continuing education projects and course offerings, and 20 grants are for digital outreach. The Minister of Culture allocates funds from the Museum Fund upon the recommendation of the Museum Council.  List of grants from the 2025 Museum Fund Supplementary Allocation. Allocation from the Museum Fund …