A new £3m funding strand for museums and galleries has been announced by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The initiative will help collections including the National Gallery, the Tate and the V&A alongside a large number of smaller institutions.

The fund has been established following six months of discussions between attractions leaders and officers of the lottery fund. It will be distributed in grants of between £50,000 and £200,000 and is also intended to help curatorial skills, research and increased activities for attractions visitors.

HLF director Carole Souter said: “Collections are fundamental to the future of our museums and galleries. HLF has been aware of funding challenges in this area for some time and we have now developed this exciting, new initiative. We want to help museums continue to be relevant to their communities and this investment will really help make this happen.”

The initiative will be open to all registered and accredited museums and galleries in the UK. Details: www.hlf.org.uk