Collections

Effective Collections is the cornerstone of our continuing work on collections - a £1m programme supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to make better use of collections, principally through increased long-term loans of stored material and a more active approach to disposal.

Through Effective Collections, we are running a practical programme with museums and stimulating a change in culture: for museums to expect to do more with their collections.

Effective Collections has been running since late 2006 with a pilot phase testing ways of working.

We launched the full phase of the programme in June 2009, with four strands:

Main Fund
Funding of up to £10,000 per project for museums to review their collections and make better use of them as a result.

Funding is available for:

· module a: collections review to identify underused objects

· module b: developing a workplan to make better use of objects, eg on loan and via transfer or alternative forms of disposal ·

module c: implementing the workplan.

There are four project rounds, six-monthly from September 2009. The deadline for applications to the second funding round is Friday 5 March 2010.

Any accredited museum, or museum working toward accreditation, can apply and museums that don't need a collections review can begin at module b.

For more on Main Fund, click here

Special Project Fund
Funding of up to £25,000 per project to museums and partners for innovative projects that include loans and transfers.

The criteria for these grants are based on:

· public outcomes

· impact on the museum, the sector and beyond

· innovation and ambition

· legacy and sustainability.

There are four project rounds, six-monthly from September 2009. The deadline for applications to the second funding round is Friday 5 March 2010.

Any accredited museum (or working towards), or partnership of organisations that includes an accredited museum (or working towards), can apply.

For more on Special Project Fund, click here

Find an Object
A web listing service to advertise loan and disposal objects and promote their take-up by other museums and public venues.

Museums can post adverts offering objects, supplemented by pictures and background information, and other museums can respond directly to the advertiser to set up a loan or permanent transfer.

Museums can also register an interest in borrowing or acquiring certain objects or types of material. The MA will matchmake these requests where it is possible to do so.

To search the Find an object database, please click here

Culture Change
A body of advocacy, research and campaigns working with partners to change the culture of museums, such that they expect to make better use of their collections.

This includes significant pieces of work led by the MA to promote the key principles of loans, and on attitudes to risk. It also includes contributing to policy development across the sector with partners.

For more on Culture Change, click here

Downloads and more information

Effective Collections: programme prospectus 2009-12 (pdf)

Making Collections Effective (2007) (pdf)

Collections for the Future (2005)

For more information about disposal, click here

For information about pilot phase of Effective Collections, click here

If you can't see what you're looking for on this page, or if you have a particular document in mind, try looking in our publications section or use the search box at the top of the page.

To see a list of resources in our publications section, please click here