Welcome to Your May Newsletter!

Now is the time to get your team talking grants, as not only does Small Open Grants close this month but two new grant streams open for applications. If you would like to take part in the Annual Museum Survey 2024 we have information on how to get involved in this newsletter.

We also have a brand new programme from Kids in Museums, and a hello from some new members of the Museum Development South West Team. We'll also be celebrating recent Accreditation awards, alongside our usual sector news and funding opportunities.

Today we are opening two different grant streams! This is your opportunity to develop your team or bring a beloved object out of storage. Remember, Talking Nature will launch later this year and further information will become available in June.

We're thrilled to announce that the Annual Museum Survey will open on Monday 20 May. This year, the survey will be open for six weeks and will close on Tuesday 2 July.

If your museum is part of the Accreditation scheme and didn't participate in the 2023 survey or hasn't registered for this year's survey yet, reach out to your Museum Development Officer for a quick registration process.

Curious about past reports? Visit our archive page to explore previous years' publications. For more details on the 2024 survey process, visit our dedicated support page or email us at museum.data@bristol.gov.uk.

As we enter the new Arts Council England funding period, museums from across Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight have joined the Museum Development South West area. We extend a warm welcome to those museums, as well as two new faces who will be working with us to support them.

Alice le Page is the new Museum Development Officer for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. She has worked in the museum sector for 15 years, primarily in a freelance capacity. Her background is in museum learning and she has worked with, volunteered in, and sat on the Board of many museum and heritage organisations across London and the south of England.

Philip Claris has joined Museum Development South West as Technical Accreditation Adviser for Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. He will work alongside Tim Burge who provides the same support for the rest of Museum Development South West.

You can find out more about Alice, Philip and our new board member Corina Westwood in our website.

Welcome to our new newsletter feature celebrating recent Accreditation achievements in our area! Congratulations to all of the following museums and heritage organisations:

Museums marking birth of William the Conqueror

UK Museums are being invited to take part in an international programme to mark the millennium of the birth of William the Conqueror in 2027. The culture and tourism programme will span countries with shared Norman heritage including the UK, France, Ireland, the Channel Islands. 

The programme is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), who are encouraging local authorities, cultural organisations, and communities to take part by hosting an activity or event. Museums can contact DCMS to discuss their ideas for the anniversary by emailing enquiries@dcms.gov.uk.

Historic England latest research on wellbeing and heritage

New research by Historic England shows that the overall wellbeing value for people’s day-to-day encounters with heritage is estimated to be worth £29 billion every year in England.

This research is part of Historic England’s 'Heritage Capital and Wellbeing: Examining the Relationship Between Heritage Density and Life Satisfaction' report, which demonstrates that the very presence of nearby historic places benefits residents’ quality of life, whether or not they participate in heritage activities.

The report highlights useful findings which could be tapped into for funding applications and event ideas.

Art Fund looking for museums to lead early years research

Art Fund partnering with Nesta on an programme which will explore early years innovation in museums and encourage a wider range of families to visit museums. This programme will explore and evaluate how an evidence-led playful intervention in museums can support families.

Eight lead museums selected for the programme will each receive a grant of up to £65,000 to cover the costs of participating. They will be instrumental in the design and testing of a new intervention in early years programming for the museum sector. Applications to be a participating museum close 15 May 2024.

National Lottery Awards for All England

Grants of between £300 and £20,000 for up to two years are available to a wide range of not-for-profit organisations in England, including registered charities, Community Interest Companies and town and parish councils, for projects that improve local communities, inclusive of helping to alleviate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. Applications are accepted all year round. 

The best ways to get in touch are via the form on our website or emailing museum.development@bristol.gov.uk

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Photo credits (in order as they appear):

• Canva
• Chippenham Museum
• Canva
• Canva
• Kids in Museums
• Alice le Page
• Philip Claris
• Reading Museum

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