GLASGOW'S museums and galleries will from today be able to bid for their share of £1million in extra funding.

City institutions such as Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum must compete with those from other parts of the country for the cash help announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop.

Glasgow for years has argued that its civic art collection – Europe's biggest – should get central funding.

However, the latest round of funding unveiled today is one of the few chances city museums and galleries have to access Holyrood cash.

Last year Glasgow University's Hunterian Museum used money from the 2011/12 fund to recreate an Egyptian tomb using paintings made by 18th century Scottish traveller and collector Reverend Colin Campbell.

The extra funding comes from the Scottish Government's draft budget for 2012-13.

Crucially, more than half the money is ring-fenced for collections of national or international significance, which would certainly include those at Kelvingrove, the Hunterian and the new £100m Riverside Museum of transport.

More than 260 museums and galleries across the country can apply for funds from the £970,000 set aside for project funding or the £100,000 set aside for capital projects.

Ms Hyslop said: "Scotland is a nation rich in heritage. The collections held in our museums and galleries tell the story of our people and our contribution to the world.

"Our museums and galleries welcome millions of visitors every year and are tremendously important to Scottish tourism and the economy. They are also of huge educational and social value to people across Scotland.

"Despite deep cuts in public finances imposed by the UK Government, I have prioritised my budget to minimise as far as possible the impact on our cultural and heritage sector.

"I am continuing to invest in our museums and galleries in 2012, the Year of Creative Scotland."

The Scottish Government will not get the final say on who gets the money. That will go to Museums Galleries Scotland, the body that represents such institutions.

Joanne Orr, its chief executive, said: "To receive this commitment in the current challenging economic climate is a real endorsement of the importance of the Scottish museums and galleries sector.

"This maintained level of funding allows us and the sector to continue undertaking projects which benefit and enrich communities"

Museums are big business, especially in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The national collections in the capital receive national funding. The so-called "local" ones in Glasgow do not - despite the fact that this city's galleries are internationally recognised as among the world's finest.

Scotland's museums and galleries attract 25m visitors every year, generating some £800m for the economy.