Consultants to the Visitor Attraction Sector
Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
The Stirling Smith opened in 1874 through the bequest of the artist Thomas Stuart Smith, on land given by the Burgh of Stirling, and is one of Scotland’s oldest public museums. Run by an independent charity with the support of Stirling Council, it holds the art and history collections of Stirling and the surrounding area, from the world’s oldest football and curling stone to the Stirling Jug, and remains free to enter. Its Victorian building needs significant investment and its displays have not been renewed for a generation. Xcentuate was engaged to help the Director and trustees turn a long-held ambition to reimagine the museum into a plan that funders and public partners can support.
Business planning, fundraising and Green Book business cases
Reimagining the Stirling Smith in numbers:
1874
the year the Smith opened to the public
£5.44m
capital programme set out in the Outline Business Case
£2.2m
City Region Deal funding allocated
to the project
Scope of work
Business plan
Our starting point was a three-year business plan that puts Reimagining the Stirling Smith at the centre of everything the organisation does. The plan ties the museum’s commercial, audience, fundraising and governance priorities to the capital project and sets realistic targets for growing earned income from the café, shop and venue hire alongside the core grant from Stirling Council. It was approved by the trustees in September 2026 and now frames the museum’s service level agreement with the Council and its annual activity planning.
Fundraising plan
The business plan is paired with a fundraising plan that maps the full cost of the project against the sources most likely to support each part of it. The plan identifies the major funders whose priorities match the Smith’s, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland to the charitable trusts and foundations that back heritage and gallery projects in Scotland, and sets out the order in which approaches are made so that early awards unlock later ones. Conversations with key funders began well in advance of the first applications, and smaller repair and development grants are being pursued in parallel so that urgent work on the building does not have to wait for the main programme.
Strategic Outline Case
The project is supported by an allocation from the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, which requires a business case to HM Treasury Green Book standards before funding is released. Xcentuate prepared the Strategic Outline Case, setting out the case for change, the fit with local, regional and national strategies for culture, tourism and the economy, and the long list of options for investing in the building and the visitor offer. The SOC has been approved, confirming the project’s place in the Deal programme and allowing the Smith to move to the next stage.
Outline Business Case
We have recently completed the Outline Business Case, developed through the Green Book’s five cases. The strategic case responds directly to the questions raised at SOC stage about economic growth and untapped demand. The economic case appraises the shortlisted options and sets out the social value of the preferred one. The commercial, financial and management cases cover procurement, affordability for a small charity, governance, risk and the tracking of benefits. The preferred option, within the Deal’s £5.45m ceiling, creates a new flagship permanent gallery capable of displaying significant collections not currently on show and hosting long-term national loans, alongside the heating, ventilation, fire and security systems and external repairs the building needs to support it. The OBC is accompanied by appendices on subsidy control, equality and the Fairer Scotland Duty, economic appraisal, finance, risk and benefits, and has been prepared for the trustees to consider for approval and submission to the Council and the Deal programme office.
Next steps
The Outline Business Case is now with the trustees for consideration. Once it is submitted and approved, the project moves into design development, the Full Business Case and live fundraising for the partnership funding needed alongside the City Region Deal allocation. Xcentuate continues to support the Director and trustees through this period, keeping the business plan, fundraising and business case aligned so that the next stage can begin as soon as approval is given.
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The Stirling Smith shows how a small, independent museum can meet the standards that public capital funding demands without losing sight of its purpose. Each document, from the business plan to the OBC, has been written to be read by trustees, officers and funders alike, so that everyone involved understands the case and their part in delivering it.
