Bursaries available for SHCG and AMA events
West Midlands Museum Development is offering bursaries for West Midlands museum delegates to attend events.
We have five bursaries for each of the following:
- Social History Curator’s Group (SHCG) Conference
- Arts Marketing Association’s (AMA) Inclusivity and Audiences Day
- Arts Marketing Association’s (AMA) Conference
Applicants for each opportunity must work in an Accredited or Working Towards Accreditation West Midlands museum that is not a National museum or National Portfolio Organisation.
About SHCG Conference 2023
The conference, taking place on Friday 9 June at Thinktank, Birmingham B4 7XG has the theme of Activism and Professional Practice in the Changing World
Hear case studies from organisations who are involved in activism projects, take part in workshops designed to improve your confidence and practice, and discuss how social history can be at the heart of a changing world. Find out more about the SHCG conference.
Download the application form for SHCG Conference 2023. Bursary applications close: 5pm, Friday 14 April
About Inclusivity and Audiences Day
Now in its 5th year, Inclusivity and Audiences Day champions Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) best practice from across our sector.
Taking place on Wednesday 10 May, this day-long online event offers you the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and dive into concepts and case studies that challenge and provide new perspectives. Find out more about Inclusivity and Audiences Day
Bursary applications are open to both AMA members and non-members. Download the application form for Inclusivity and Audiences Day
Bursary applications close: 12pm, Thursday 6 April
About AMA Conference 2023
This year’s theme is all about making your audiences the centre of your world. When you have so many competing priorities, how can you open up more to your audiences, visitors and local communities? How do you put them at the heart of all you do? And how do they shape the fabric of your organisation?
Taking place on Thursday 13 July and Friday 14 July at Leeds Playhouse LS2 7UP, the AMA Conference is for you. You’ll gain knowledge, make contacts, and be inspired to focus on what matters most — your audiences. Find out more about the AMA Conference
Bursary applications are open to both AMA members and non-members. Download the application form for AMA Conference
Bursary applications close: 12pm, Friday 19 May
Getting your House in Order
Good collections documentation enables use of your collections and ensures that your museum is properly accountable for the collections it holds.
West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) is partnering with Museum Development East Midlands and Collections Trust to deliver a programme of seven workshops across 2023/24 to support you in ensuring that your collections documentation is well managed.
Using the framework of Spectrum 5.1 and its collection documentation procedures, the workshops will focus on the planning and work required for museums to get their collections documentation in order.
The workshops
- Introduction to Spectrum – Thursday 4 May, 2pm-4pm
- Ownership of Collections – Thursday 22 June, 10am-12noon
- Location and movement control – Thursday 14 September, 10am-12noon
- Inventory and documentation planning – Thursday 12 October, 10am-12noon
- Loans in and out – January 2024 tbc
- Documentation histories and manuals – February 2024 tbc
- Audit – March 2024 tbc
The programme has been designed so that you can attend as many of the sessions as you need; overall they complement each other to give an overview of the Spectrum requirements, but each session also works as a stand alone workshop.
Bookings are open for the first four workshops, simply click on the workshop for more information and to book. Further details and dates of the other workshops to follow.
Bursaries available for AMA Inclusivity & Relevance Day
West Midlands Museum Development is offering five bursaries for West Midlands museum delegates to attend the Arts Marketing Association’s (AMA) Inclusivity and Audiences Day.
Applications are open to both AMA members and non-members.
All applicants must meet the following criteria:
- You work in an Accredited or Working Towards Accreditation West Midlands museum that is not a National museum or National Portfolio Organisation.
About the Inclusivity and Audiences Day
Now in its 5th year, Inclusivity and Audiences Day champions Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) best practice from across our sector.
Taking place on Wednesday 10 May, this day-long online event offers you the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and dive into concepts and case studies that challenge and provide new perspectives.
Each of the speakers will be paired with a poet with lived experience of the topics at hand, who will help bring fresh perspectives and new ways of thinking to complex subject matter.
During the day speakers and poets will cover topics such as:
- Locating your Leadership in relationships
- Designing perspectives in human equity
- Reviewing the fine print of your strategy
Open to All 2023: Accessibility Audit programme
Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM) and West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) are providing a small cohort of museums with the opportunity to receive professional advice and support to improve access for visitors. MDEM and WMMD have appointed Direct Access to deliver this programme.
Accessibility Audits
Each venue will receive a site visit from Direct Access resulting in an accessibility audit and report identifying a comprehensive list of tailored, prioritised recommendations based on current standards and legislation, delivered alongside expert training and advice.
About the consultants
Since 2004 Direct Access and its team of NRAC certified Access Consultants have provided access consultancy for thousands of buildings and services across multiple sectors. Millions of people daily use a service or premises audited by Direct Access. Direct Access’ clients range from small community museums such as Nantwich Museum to large sites including Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Scotland, Bodelwyddan Castle in Wales or UNESCO World Heritage sites such as the City of Bath and its Roman Baths.
Expecting to submit your Accreditation Return soon?
Participation in the Open to All: Accessibility Audit programme directly supports Arts Council England’s Accreditation Standard, Users and their experiences, 7. Be accessible to the public.
Key dates:
- Apply by 9am, Monday 3 April
- Accessibility Audit site visits will be undertaken by Direct Access between April and July
- ‘Creating an Effective Access Plan’ training delivered by Direct Access via Zoom on Thursday 21 September
Priority will be given to non-NPO and non-National museums who are Accredited or Working Towards Accreditation and based in the East Midlands or West Midlands.
Museums that have previously received an accessibility audit through WMMD will be considered.
Midlands Succession Planning Programme 2023
Succession planning is a crucial element of good governance and Museum Development’s Organisational Health Check 2022/23 highlights succession planning as a key developmental need for many museums.
- Have you considered how the board will manage if one of the trustees decides to leave?
- Have the events of the last few years highlighted gaps on your board and the need for new expertise and experiences?
- Do you know which skills, experience and attitudes are required to enable your museum to flourish and be sustainable?
- Have you thought about the representation on your board, does it reflect a range of views, viewpoints and your audiences?
- Are you fully up to date with your governing document and the rules and terms of office for trustees?
Programme Overview
This short programme from Museum Development East Midlands and West Midlands Museum Development will support six museums to consider all elements of good practice in succession planning and enable you to develop a focused and realistic plan for the future. Facilitated by Heather Lomas, it will provide a blend of intensive support to a cohort of museums.
The programme consists of an introductory session and four online sessions including an Introduction to Diversity and Inclusion workshop led by Inclusive Boards.
There will be additional one to one support available, access to a peer support network, provision of resources, links to additional information plus a final peer support meeting in November 2023 to share learning from the programme.
Download the Programme Information and Dates
The programme aims to:
- Support museums in developing plans for succession of trustees and boards
- Champion diversity and encourage museums to have a range of people represented on their boards
- Facilitate museums to develop effective plans and procedures for trustee recruitment
- Enable museums to develop equality action plans
- Provide museums with peer group meetings, one to one support, resources and signposting
How to apply
This opportunity is open to six museums in the East Midlands and West Midlands regions who are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation. NPOs and national museums are not eligible. The museums will be selected through a competitive Expression of Interest process.
Please complete the Expression of Interest form by 5pm, Friday 24 March and email to mdem@leics.gov.uk
Download the Expression of Interest form
Each organisation should nominate up to three people to be involved, this should include your Chair if possible and other trustees where applicable. If you have any questions about the opportunity, then please email Heather Lomas.
Please note we can only accept applications from those who can commit to attending all the proposed sessions.
Successful applicants will be notified by Friday 31 March.
Please note that MDEM will be managing the application process for both East Midlands and West Midlands. You can view the MDEM data processing policy here.
Concerned about Closure
- Do you think your museum is facing closure in the next 12 months?
- Unsure of your financial standing or cash flow?
- Looking for advice, clarity and next steps?
WMMD has updated the Concerned About Closure programme to identify museums at risk of closure.
If you believe your museum is facing closure in the next 12 months, please complete our updated online form to notify us. It will take less than ten minutes to complete and is best completed by the museum’s Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer or a Senior Member of Staff (either paid or voluntary depending on your organisation’s structure).
How will this help my museum?
The Concerned About Closure form will enable us to identify and support museums facing closure, will provide insight into the health of the region’s sector, and will help us report concerns to Arts Council England (with your permission*).
For Accredited museums and those Working Towards Accreditation, completion of the form offers you the opportunity for an optional, free confidential surgery** to help you review your museum’s position, talk through the options available to you and help identify the actions you need to take.
The surgeries are structured conversations to help you understand your museum’s financial standing and clarify its position on potential closure. Surgeries will be led by Ari Volanakis with support from Olivia Basterfield (WMMD). Notes will be formalised into a written report to help you and your colleagues with planning and next steps.
About Ari Volanakis
Ari is a heritage management professional with hands-on experience in museum environments, business planning, strategy and commercial operations, with an MA in heritage management from Ironbridge Institute.
If you have any queries about the programme or would like to discuss Concerned About Closure further, please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk and a member of the team will be in touch.
*The form will ask your permission for WMMD to share your information with Arts Council England (ACE) as part of the coordinated partnership work to protect museums and collections at risk. ACE is working with the Museum Development Network (MDUK) and fifteen other sector partners to provide a coordinated approach to supporting sector colleagues who have concerns about the future of their museums or collections. More information can be found in the July 2021 joint statement on protecting museums and collections at risk.
Your information will only be shared with your consent.
Sharing your information will help the partnership provide timely and appropriate advice, identify trends, and lobby for support on behalf of the UK museum sector.
**Confidential surgeries are available on a first come first served basis to museums who are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation. If you are a non-Accredited museum, when you complete the survey a member of the WMMD team will contact you to discuss your situation and signpost to other support where possible.
WMMD is grateful to South East Museum Development for developing and piloting the Concerned About Closure programme in their region during 2020 and producing the conversation template for the surgeries.
Family Friendly Audit – apply now
West Midlands Museum Development is offering eight museums the opportunity to receive a Kids in Museums Family Friendly Audit. The audit is a simple and practical tool to make your museum more welcoming to children and families.
The audit is based on the Manifesto, one of Kids in Museums’ most powerful and longstanding initiatives. The Kids in Museums Manifesto is entirely based on feedback from families, children and young people about their experiences of visiting museums.
The Family Friendly Museum Audit will evaluate a visit to your museum against the six points of the Manifesto to understand the effectiveness of your welcome for children and families. An experienced Kids in Museums consultant will review everything from the café and ticket desk to your interpretation alongside any spaces or displays aimed at children and families.
Following their visit, the consultant will produce an illustrated report highlighting existing areas of good practice and including a simple cost-effective action plan for areas for improvement. As well as offering a practical guide to making your museum more family friendly, the report will serve as a powerful advocacy tool for including children and families across your organisation.
Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 3 April
Priority will be given to non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.
Winter blackouts – how to be prepared
In response to concerns over possible winter energy blackouts, Arts Council England has offered some actions that museums and other cultural venues should be aware of. Being proactive and taking actions now will help organisations to be better prepared should the sector experience power blackouts later on.
- Review risk assessments to capture possible consequences power blackouts may have on their buildings, collections, and staff’s operations, and plan accordingly
- Consider possible ways in which resilience can be increased, for example installing multiple power feeds to the venue – this can minimise the likelihood of a power disruption affecting a venue. Electricity Network Operator will be able to advise if installing an additional power feed is feasible and cost effective.
- Ensure that fire and alarm systems have been serviced and where applicable battery backups are stored and available if needed
- If you have a back-up generator, test it and make sure you are aware of how long it will last in case of a power cut.
- Contact the service providers for your telephone service, security system and fire protection system for information on how these systems will operate during and after an electrical outage.
- Know what equipment can and cannot be turned off during an outage. Develop a plan for controlled shut-down if needed.
- Based on the risk assessment conducted, considerations may be given to surrender some parts of a building or site, saving energy for the most key/ important areas.
- Think about how communications will be managed, both internally and externally, in case of a power blackouts.
- Ensure you have a list of emergency phone contacts at hand if needed.
- If any changes are made to any of your operational procedures, ensure these are reflected in the risk management plan and staff is aware of these.
Grants to Reimagine the Future of Biodiversity in the UK
The Great Escape has been officially re-named The Wild Escape. This evolution of the project’s name from its earlier working title now directly captures Art Fund’s aim to encourage the next generation to picture the future of UK wildlife through museum collections. The name change has no impact on your application if you are in the process of an applying or if you have already applied.
Museum Development England is working in partnership with Art Fund on The Great Escape – a new UK-wide creative project for museums to engage with schools and families, inspired by the nature around us.
The Great Escape will bring museums, schools, and families together to engage young people with the UK’s natural environment, drawing inspiration from the art and objects in museums and the creative and learning opportunities they can offer.
It will bring schools and families into museum spaces, inviting primary school children aged 7-11 to explore the animals in their collections and create stories and pictures that imagine a creature’s journey to a future habitat rich in biodiversity. The things they make in the classroom, online and in museums will be brought together in a collective work of art, unveiled during a weekend of activities for all ages on Earth Day 2023.
Together with Art Fund we are encouraging as many museums, galleries and historic houses to participate as possible by running your own activities, workshops and events – big or small – to support the project.
If you want to get involved, the best way to start is by registering your interest so you’ll be the first to get exclusive updates about the project. Funding is not a prerequisite for getting involved, but where organisations do require financial support, we have a limited number of small grants from £500 to £3,000 (and for consortia up to £24,000) available. The Great Escape is made possible with support from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants.
Key information
- Grants are available from £500 – £3,000 for individual applicants and up to £24,000 for consortia applications
- Applicants can apply for 100% of project costs. Match funding, cash, or in-kind support is not a requirement.
- Applicants can apply for existing staff deployed to deliver the project (up to a maximum value of 50% of total project cost)
- Activity must be delivered between 21 November 2022 and 1 May 2023
Scheme dates and deadlines
- Application deadline: 9am, Wednesday 2 November 2022
- Outcome letters issued by: Monday 14 November 2022
- Grant acceptance deadline by: Monday 21 November 2022
- Projects can start from Monday 21 November 2022
- Projects completed by Monday 1 May 2023
- Submission of grant claim paperwork deadline is Friday 5 May 2023
What type of projects are we looking to fund?
Our funding can support The Great Escape projects in one or more of the following ways:
- Connecting with local primary schools: Build or expand one or more connections to a local primary school near to you and or offer The Great Escape workshop(s) (online or in person) to primary age classes aged 7–11-years-old at some point in the 2022/23 academic year
- Connect with families: Engage and widen participation from families with children, including those between 7-11 years-old in your organisation’s activities online or in person
- Connect and work other local community groups or organisations: Build your relationships and or partnerships with local community groups to support your engagement with primary schools and families with children aged 7-11 years-old
- Earth Day activity: Invite the schools/ families/ visitors and community to join you on Earth Day 2023 (Saturday 22 April) for a participative event at your organisation or in your community that connects back to the workshops
Who should apply?
We will consider applications from museums, galleries, and historic houses, that:
- Have a public presence (eg a building open to the public) or a public outcome (eg a festival or public art programme)
- Can demonstrate that they operate to standards of best practice within the sector (eg through Arts Council England accreditation)
Individual National Trust, English Heritage and National Museums may form part of a consortia to work in partnership in their local area but cannot be the lead applicant.
If you are unsure about your organisation(s) eligibility to apply, please contact Art Fund direct at thegreatescapeproject@artfund.org.
Where can I find out more and where can I get help?
Please read our grant scheme guidance for full details: The Great Escape Grants Guidance
The Great Escape grant application questions:
- The Great Escape Grant Funding Application Questions
- The Great Escape Grant Funding Application Questions template
To help you draft a strong application we will be hosting workshops to help organisations with this application process. Please select the workshop at the time and date most convenient to you and register via the Museum Development England host Eventbrite link.
- Thursday 29 September, 2pm-3pm hosted by South West Museum Development
- Friday 30 September, 3pm-4pm hosted by South East Museum Development
- Wednesday 5 October, 2.30pm-3.30pm hosted by South East Museum Development
- Thursday 6 October, 11am-12noon hosted by London Museum Development
- Thursday 6 October, 1pm-2pm hosted by Museum Development North
- Friday 7 October, 11am-12noon hosted by London Museum Development
Please contact us here at West Midlands Museum Development wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk for further information and application advice.
Art Fund will also be holding a series of online workshops every month where, as well a project update, they discuss a specific topic to support you in delivering activity related to The Great Escape. Simply register your interest on their website for all the booking details, plus get exclusive updates, including news about partnerships, funding and free resources throughout the project.
How do I apply?
Applicants must apply online via the following form: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/The_Great_Escape_Grant_App/
Please contact us if you have access requirements and require an alternative format for applying.
Applications received after the grant scheme deadline of 9am, Wednesday 2 November 2022 will not be considered.
Applications submitted via any other method without prior approval will not be considered.
Energy Bill Relief Scheme
The government has published the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) for businesses and non-domestic customers.
Through the EBRS, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers (including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector like charities and the public sector such as schools and hospitals) whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global energy prices. This support will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.
It will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial 6 month period for all non-domestic energy users. The savings will be first seen in October bills, which are typically received in November.
As with the Energy Price Guarantee for households, customers do not need to take action or apply to the scheme to access the support. Support (in the form of a p/kWh discount) will automatically be applied to bills.
Read the guidance about the scheme and how you can get support this winter.
