On 16 May 2024 a broad political majority reached an agreement on a thorough reform of the funding model for Denmark's 95 state-recognised museums. The reform replaces the model that had been largely unchanged since 2006, and entered into force on 1 January 2025. It is being phased in over four years and is fully phased in in 2028.
A new funding model, modernised tasks and clear requirements for the country's 95 state-recognised museums.
Overview of the reform
The aim is a more transparent and fair distribution of the state's museum funding, rewarding quality, activity and relevance rather than historic grant levels.
Modernised tasks
The five pillars of the previous Museums Act have been replaced by three core tasks, giving museums greater freedom to set priorities within a clearer framework:
Before: 5 pillars
Collecting, Registration, Preservation, Research, Dissemination
Now: 3 core tasks
Collection development, Knowledge development, Dissemination
Collection development brings collecting, registration and preservation into one concept and underlines that collections should be developed actively, not merely stored.
Knowledge development replaces the narrower idea of research and opens the way for museums to contribute knowledge in several ways, including practice-based research, investigations and the sharing of new knowledge.
Dissemination remains a task in its own right and covers every form of the museum's encounter with the public: on site, digital and outward-facing.
The new funding model
The overall appropriation of 565.7 million kr. is distributed through three types of grant. The model guarantees a basic allocation for every museum and, at the same time, rewards museums that perform well on measurable parameters.
Fordeling af tilskud
Basic grant
The basic grant is a fixed annual allocation awarded according to the museum's category. Categorisation rests on a professional, discretionary assessment of the collection's significance, not on dissemination or knowledge development. That ensures every museum has a stable financial base.
| Category | Number of museums | Basic grant (million kr.) | Total (million kr.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 41 | 1.5 | 61.5 |
| Category 2 | 27 | 2.5 | 67.5 |
| Category 3 | 16 | 3.5 | 56.0 |
| Category 4 | 6 | 10.5 | 63.0 |
| Category 5 | 5 | 23.0 | 115.0 |
Tilskud per museum (mio. kr.)
Samlet for kategori (mio. kr.)
Variable grant
The variable grant is distributed according to four parameters that reflect the museum's level of activity and relevance. This is where museums can influence the size of their own grant most directly.
Visitors. The total number of visitors accounts for 30% of the variable grant. Museums are rewarded for attracting a broad audience.
Children and young people. The number of visitors under 18 is counted separately at 30%, which underlines the reform's focus on accessibility for the youngest visitors.
Revenue. The museum's own income (admission, shop, sponsorships and so on) accounts for 30%. That rewards museums that manage to build a sustainable economy.
Research. The number of research publications accounts for 10%. That keeps research as an expectation, but with a lower weighting than the audience-facing parameters.
Calculation: Each museum's share of the variable grant is calculated from its relative performance on each parameter, compared with all other museums in the same calculation group. The figure is based on a three-year average.
Priority grant
The priority grant makes up about 12% of the envelope and is allocated politically in the Finance Act. It is not an application-based fund, and it does not replace the development fund.
If a museum is moved to a higher basic-grant category, the increase in the basic grant is offset against the priority grant. If a museum entity is split into several entities, the priority grant lapses. The grant is to be evaluated after five years.
The development fund is a separate, application-based fund of 10 million kr. a year for museums in basic-grant categories 1-3. The deadline for 2026 is 1 September 2026 at 14.00.
Minimum requirements for state recognition
To keep its state recognition, and with it access to grants, every museum must meet three minimum requirements:
The requirements are based on a three-year average, and museums that do not meet them are given a deadline to put things right. The Agency for Culture and Palaces (Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen) carries out supervision.
Note: The 4 million kr. in revenue includes all the museum's sources of income: admission, municipal grants, foundations, sponsorships and own revenue, but not the state operating grant.
What can museums do to receive more support?
The new model gives museums four clear levers to pull. Here are the most important areas for action:
- Increase total visitor numbers (30% weighting). Invest in exhibitions, events and marketing that attract a broader audience. Every extra visit lifts the share of the variable grant.
- Prioritise children and young people (30% weighting). Develop targeted school programmes, family activities and digital interpretation formats. This parameter is rewarded just as highly as total visitor numbers.
- Strengthen your own revenue (30% weighting). Diversify sources of income: admission, the museum shop, café, venue hire, sponsorships, foundation applications. Municipal grants count as well.
- Publish research (10% weighting). Even one extra research publication can make a difference, especially for smaller museums. Collaborate with universities and other museums on joint projects.
- Apply to the development fund. Museums in basic-grant categories 1-3 can apply to the separate development fund of 10 million kr. a year. The deadline for 2026 is 1 September at 14.00. The priority grant is allocated politically and cannot be applied for.
- Work with other museums. Mergers and collaborations can lift a museum into a higher basic-grant category and create economies of scale.
Tip: All variable parameters are calculated as three-year averages. The data basis for 2026 is 2022-2024, that is, figures the museums have already reported. Work done in 2026 will not show up in the grant until 2029, through the 2026-2028 average. Start early.
Phasing in
The reform is being phased in over four years, so that museums can adapt to the new model. No museum saw a sudden drop in funding from day one.
The reform entered into force. First grants under the new model.
Variable grants have been paid on the basis of the three-year average for 2022-2024. The Museums Board is operational.
Gradual phase-in over four years. Museums due to receive less in grant are stepped down in stages. Museums due to receive more are stepped up correspondingly.
The new model is fully phased in. Every museum receives a grant calculated solely on the new model.
The Museums Board
The reform established an independent Museums Board (Museumsnævnet), which is now operational. The Board has the power to award and withdraw state recognition and to change a museum's placement in a basic-grant category. A change of category can take effect no earlier than 1 January 2029. Museums that received a lower overall grant in 2025 than in 2024 could have a change take effect as early as 1 January 2026. Applications for a change of category have a deadline of 1 July for effect in the following calendar year.
The Museums Board consists of seven members, including a chair, who are appointed by the Minister for Culture for a four-year term. Local Government Denmark (Kommunernes Landsforening) and the Organisation of Danish Museums (Organisationen Danske Museer) each nominate one member. The Minister for Culture appoints five members, one of whom must come from another Nordic country.
- Grow overall visitor numbers
QR codes and browser-based audio guides with no app download make it easy to start on site. More languages and a clear visitor journey make it easier to attract both local and international guests.
- Prioritise children and young people
Content that is easy to navigate on a phone and suited to teaching and families makes school and family visits more attractive — without extra friction in booking or playback.
- Strengthen your own revenue
When more guests get a good digital experience, it supports ticket and retail flows and makes sponsorships and partnerships easier to explain with concrete usage figures.
Based on the political agreement of 16 May 2024, the Museums Act and guidance from the Agency for Culture and Palaces · Data: Ministry of Culture, SLKS and ODM
Sources
- Agency for Culture and Palaces: Operating grants for state-recognised museums
- Ministry of Culture: Agreement text on the museum reform (May 2024)
- Retsinformation: LBK nr. 1017 af 7. juli 2025 (the Museums Act)
- Organisation of Danish Museums: Facts about the museum reform
- Agency for Culture and Palaces: Requirements and supervision
- Agency for Culture and Palaces: Apply for a change of category
- Agency for Culture and Palaces: Development fund