Our renewed commitment to the Museum Development programme

Here at the Arts Council, it’s our job to support and develop England’s creative and cultural ecosystem, to ensure that everyone, up and down the country can enjoy what’s on offer and get involved. That includes the hundreds of museums - from tiny rural sites to large city centre museums - which all preserve and present our collective heritage. One of the ways we support and develop museums is through the Museum Development programme.

As the national development agency for museums, we invested in the Museum Development programme to provide museums, and the people working in the sector, with training, grants and more, to help them be the best they can be.

I know from first-hand experience how much the support provided by Museum Development is valued. Since it started, the programme has adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, playing a vital role in supporting museums across the country. Those challenges have really stepped up a gear recently, from a global pandemic to the climate emergency, and the cost-of-living crisis fuelling uncertainty and hardship.

Despite this, museums have adapted creatively and with community spirit. They have refocused, emphasising the unique characteristics of their roots and purpose. They’ve re-engaged with local people, ensuring their needs are met, including the development of digital offers that we could not have imagined before the pandemic.

Although it was published just before Covid-19 hit, our strategy for 2020-2030, Let’s Create, has proven itself to be the right strategy to navigate the times we find ourselves in. We’ve shifted focus as a development agency, working locally to broker and invest public funds to benefit the people living there and those visiting. Unlocking the potential of places is one of our greatest opportunities - and museums have a vital role to play in this.

With that sharper focus, now is the time for us to reflect on and update the Museum Development programme, to align with the ambitions of Let’s Create.

We commissioned D C Research to evaluate the work of the programme between 2015 and 2022, to understand what difference just over £22 million of Arts Council investment has made to museums up and down the country. Today, we publish their findings and we’re really pleased to see evidence of widespread appreciation for the programme. The findings will continue to guide our development of the programme.

Long have we known the value and reach of the Museum Development programme, which is why we want to strengthen it. The programme’s evolution and adaptability over time has been essential, particularly during the pandemic, and is rightly highlighted in the evaluation report as a real success and strength.

The refreshed 2024-27 programme will emphasise the current strengths of the programme, while increasing connections between museums across the country so we all benefit and learn from each other.

We know from our relationships and data insights, that many museums face similar issues, so there is real value in working nationally. But local knowledge, understanding of context and relationships by Museum Development colleagues, are vital too.

We believe that the reframed programme – which has more of an emphasis on sharing skills and working in closer partnership with us, with each other, with Investment Principle Support Organisations, and other agencies – will help museums to face the future with confidence.

To help achieve this, we’ll be introducing some new roles at the Arts Council. These roles will help with coordination and national communication, as well as with programme development and data insights. That way, the Museum Development teams on the ground can focus on their relationships and direct delivery to museums, while knowing their learning will be shared nationally. 

This work, and our investment in the programme, doesn’t stand in isolation. Excitingly, from 1 April 2023, we’ll have more museums in our National Portfolio of organisations than ever before, which I spoke about previously. They’ll be joined by five Investment Principles Support Organisations focussed on museums: Association of Independent Museums; Collections Trust; Group for Education in Museums; Kids in Museums; Touring Exhibitions Group. These organisations, alongside others, will be able to work with Museum Development organisations to support museums to develop further, with and for, the benefit of their communities.

Find out more about the Museum Development programme 2024 - 27.