The procedures can also be downloaded (PDF file)here.
1. The role of the museum council
According to the Museum Act, it is the role of the Museum Council to provide feedback on grant applications to the Museum Fund.
- When the application deadline has passed, the Director of the Museum Council reviews the applications and rejects those that do not meet the Museum Council's criteria. If there are any doubts, they are submitted to the chairman.
- The Museum Council receives a list of all applications for the museum fund and the trustees declare disqualifications where applicable.
- The councillors will divide the applications among themselves, with a designated councillor responsible for presenting the evaluation of the application. All applications must be read by 3 councillors.
- External evaluators may be called in if the trustees deem it necessary.
- Council members submit an assessment of the applications along with a proposal for processing – including the amount of project grants and operating grants.
- Applications shall be ranked according to evaluation and a proposal for processing shall be submitted to the council's allocation meeting.
- Council members and external reviewers will be paid separately for their work on evaluating applications.
- Applicants may not contact the trustees regarding applications while applications are being evaluated. All inquiries and suggestions should be directed to the Museum Board office. Failure to do so may result in the application being rejected.
- The aim is for the processing time for grant applications from the application deadline to be a maximum of 3 months.
- Trustees and external reviewers will treat the content of applications as confidential.
2. Project information
- A name that indicates what kind of project it is.
- Defined purpose and goals.
- A specific start date and end date.
- A clear division of labor that is reflected in the work plan.
- Budget.
- Work and schedule and possible phasing, if applicable.
- Participant list and potential partners.
3. Evaluation of applications for project grants.
In general, a proposal shall be made for the allocation of project grants for one year at a time, but approval may be given for longer-term grants, subject to funding from the museum fund.
i. Focuses when evaluating applications for project grants:
The fund's allocation rules include the following provision:
"The Museum Council may decide whether the fund will emphasize certain aspects of museum work in the annual allocation, and this will be announced through an advertisement in newspapers or in other verifiable ways."
- By including such a provision in the allocation rules, the museum board can follow the priorities in its strategy with funding.
- The emphases can, for example, be related to the main functions of museum work, such as collecting, recording, preservation, research or dissemination.
- The Museum Council must present its priorities well in advance.
ii. Amount of project grants.
- The Museum Council sets neither a minimum nor a maximum for proposals for the amount of project grants.
- The Museum Fund will provide project grants for collaboration between museums and others in the development of larger projects, but such applications will be evaluated in the same way as other applications for project grants.
iii. Project financing.
- The Museum Council does not require additional parties to finance projects, but requests information about applicants' own contributions to projects.
- Information about budget and partners is among the things considered when evaluating applications.
iv. Number of project grants per museum.
- Each museum can submit more than one application for a project grant.
- Each application for a project grant will be evaluated independently.
4. Operating strength
An operating grant is a grant that a recognized museum can apply for to strengthen its operations. A museum that receives an operating grant from the state budget cannot receive an operating grant from the museum fund in the same year. A museum run by the state cannot receive an operating grant to the museum fund.
A museum fund is authorized to allocate up to 40% of its available funds to grants to strengthen the operations of recognized museums, but is authorized to allocate a lower percentage of its available funds to such grants.
According to the Museum Fund's allocation rules, a museum can apply for an operating grant to:
- Strengthen the professional activities of the museum and strengthen its operations,
- support innovation in the museum's operations and activities,
- strengthen the operation of a museum that has merged with another
- Strengthen the museum's collaboration with non-profit organizations, institutions and other parties through agreements on the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage.
5. Evaluation of the application for operating grants
Operating grants are generally awarded for one year; longer-term agreements may be made for operating grants to recognized museums, subject to funding from the museum fund.
- It is emphasized that the owner of a museum must ensure the museum has a financial basis for its normal operations, cf. the provisions of point 1. 1. paragraph. Article 10. of the Museums Act No. 141/2011, and operating support from the museum fund is not intended to relieve the owner of that obligation. Operating support should be seen as a supplement to the operating funds of the museums in question, funds that are intended to strengthen their operations, and not as part of their necessary operating base. Examples of operations that should be the owner's responsibility include; salaries of regular employees, loan repayments and energy costs. (It is pointed out that this list is not exhaustive).
- An application for an operating grant must include an analysis of the operational aspects for which the grant is to be used..
- The application must be accompanied by a copy of
- budget the year for which the grant is being applied for and
- the annual accounts for the last operating year.
- An operating grant will not automatically be proposed to all applicants who meet the requirements of the Act on Recognized Museums, but the amounts and number of grants will depend on the fund's available funds and the number and quality of applications.
- The Museum Council sets neither a minimum nor a maximum for proposals for the amount of operating grants.
6. Application form
- The museum fund application form will take into account the factors on which applications are evaluated.
- Attachments containing information about project grants, documents confirming collaboration or funding from other sources will not be accepted. All information should be included on the application form.
- An application for an operating grant must be accompanied by the budget for the year for which the grant is being applied for and the annual accounts for the last operating year.
7. Procedure for assessing applications.
Applications will be evaluated based on the factors listed below and a score on a scale of 1-5 will be given for each factor.
For an application for a project grant or operating grant to be considered eligible for funding, the application must receive at least three points in each section of the assessment and a total of no less than 10 points. The following are the criteria for points.
Evaluators are encouraged to utilize the full grading scale when evaluating projects:
For applications for project grants:
- Purpose of the project. Cultural, scientific, artistic and/or technical objectives and novelty of the project.
- Project management, participants (collaborators), facilities, research methods, budget, work plan and schedule; applicant's contribution.
- The project's target group, outcomes and benefits for society, the museum sector and/or the scientific community.
Regarding the application for an operating grant:
- Purpose of an operational project.
- Cost estimate, project and schedule, and applicant's contribution.
- Outcomes and benefits for the museum and its professional activities
The score 0/1 is the lowest and 5 is the highest. Criteria for evaluation:
0: The application falls outside the fund's scope of work or contains serious formal defects.
1: The application is incomplete and the project description contains serious formal errors.
2: Decent application, mostly meets minimum requirements, but has significant weaknesses.
3: A good application that meets the fund's requirements well, but it has significant weaknesses.
4: Very good application. The application is very good, but it has some weaknesses.
5: Excellent application. The application meets all the requirements of the Museum Council and its weaknesses are minor.
8. Follow-up and monitoring.
Project grants:
- Upon completion of the project, the grantee presents the results and conclusions to the museum board with a written report on the use of the grant within a year of the end of the project.
Operating strength:
- A museum that receives an operating grant from the museum fund must submit a special report to the museum board before the next year's grant can be paid.
General:
It is permissible to demand reimbursement of grants if a project that has received funding
- has not been carried out in accordance with the application and the documents on which the grant was based,
- if the project has not been carried out in accordance with the terms of the fund,
- if the final report has not been submitted within one year of the scheduled end of the project, unless a postponement is specifically requested for the project or operational project. The request for a postponement must be in writing and justified.
The Museum Council is authorized to reject the museum's applications for new grants until improvements have been made in the Museum Council's opinion.
9. Foundation grants.
The Museum Fund does not provide grants for projects that fall under foundation grants, including grants for the acquisition of housing or for alterations or renovations to housing.
Such grants must be applied for directly to the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in accordance with the provisions of Article 11 of the Museums Act No. 141/2011.
Approved at the 153rd meeting of the Museum Council on August 30, 2016