Leadership development providers at cultural institutions in England can apply for grants between £150,000 (US$192,125, €167,360) and £1m (US$1.3m, €1.1m) from Arts Council England (ACE) under a new fund.

The Transforming Leadership fund is aiming to upskill arts and cultural leaders to ensure continued growth and to maintain diversity and long-term sustainability across museums, libraries and the arts.

ACE has a pot of £6m (US$7.7m, €6.7m) in total to grant providers from. The fund will support proposals from various providers, including those able to bring in skills and learning from other sectors.

It has been made available following research papers by Kings College London and Consilium that each stressed the need to “invest more in the arts and cultural workforce, which also revealed specific issues around the development of executive skills at senior level, opportunities for early career leaders and diversity across leadership”, according to an ACE statement.

"For arts, culture and creativity to thrive we must invest as much in encouraging and developing people as we do in programming and buildings,” said Sir Nicholas Serota, ACE chair.

"Diverse and effective leadership is an essential component for the success, growth and sustainability of the sector.

"This fund will create programmes that give arts and cultural leaders the time, space and resources to achieve their full potential, helping them ensure that museums, libraries and arts organisations are exciting and rewarding places in which to work."