Joint fund with Museums Galleries Scotland makes new grants

We are pleased to share that the joint Creative Minds Fund, a partnership between Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) and the Baring Foundation, has awarded £67,810 to four museums. The funding will support museums to work with mental health organisations to create engagement opportunities for people facing mental health issues.

The awarded projects will utilise museum collections to provide opportunities for participants to explore their creativity, learn new skills, express their thoughts and experiences, and foster social connections.

The University of Glasgow has received £18,020 for its Collections Creative project which will see The Hunterian collaborate with Impact Arts, a community arts charity based in Glasgow. The collaborative project will bring together a group of young people experiencing mental health issues and social anxiety to engage with The Hunterian’s collections through a series of workshops. The group will share their thoughts and responses to the collections before producing their own artworks. The project will conclude with an exhibition where participants will have the opportunity to share their work with a wider audience.

Professor Steph Scholten, Director of The Hunterian said:

“We are delighted to receive this award from the Creative Minds Fund, a collaboration between Museums Galleries Scotland and The Baring Foundation.

“The Hunterian is committed to becoming a more meaningful place for more diverse audiences. Working in partnership with Impact Arts, the Collections Creatives project will allow us to provide a creative and immersive learning and development opportunity for young people dealing with mental health issues.

“The project will allow the young participants to engage deeply with our collections, to discover their creativity and share their creative output with Hunterian audiences and the wider Glasgow community, as part of our ongoing programmes.”

The Wyllieum has received £13,082 for its Room for Art project in partnership with Arts in Healthcare, a charity working across Scotland to improve health and wellbeing through visual arts. The project will be delivered by Arts in Healthcare and hosted at The Wyllieum and will offer co-designed art workshops for adults in the Inverclyde area experiencing mental health issues, social isolation, and trauma. Taking inspiration from the museum’s riverside location and collections, project activities will include drawing, printmaking, painting, and photography. The workshops will be delivered by local artists and supported by Wyllieum staff and volunteers who will receive training in mental health first aid and trauma-informed approaches.

The Living Memory Association has received £12,862 for a project that will use art, creativity, and imagination to showcase the experiences of people living with mental health issues in the Wee Museum of Memory at Ocean Terminal. The museum will work in partnership with Outlook, a learning service for adults that enables people who access mental health services to take up a variety of opportunities. Outlook students will engage with the Wee Museum of Memory’s collection to inspire memory and creativity. They will then design, plan, and participate in various arts-based activities to celebrate the creativity of those living with mental health issues. The project will conclude with a series of exhibitions at the museum, which will also feature during the 2026 Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival.

Lybster Heritage Trust has been awarded £23,846 for its project with The Discovery College, a college in the Highlands that offers peer support to people living with mental illness, addiction, or substance abuse. This peer-led project will explore the impact of identity, heritage, and generational trauma on rural and remote communities. The project aims to address the lack of access to services in the area and build a supportive network of members of the local community. Participants will explore their identity and heritage through workshops facilitated by staff at Waterlines Museum. The year-long project will end with an exhibition showcasing the participants’ work at the museum.

This is the second round of funding through the Creative Minds Fund. Find out about projects funded in round 1.

Photo © Culture, Heritage & Arts Assembly, Argyll & Isles (CHARTS). Participants at the Creative Connections project, a collaboration between CHARTS, Campbeltown Museum and the Kintyre Link Club, which was awarded funding in the first round.