Benevolent Fund

Grants will be awarded of £500 to successful applicants.

Please read the conditions below. We note that the funds available are limited and therefore we would encourage only those meeting the criteria below to apply. 

2.1      Applicants must: 

• Be a current individual member and have been an individual member for at least two years

2.2      The application must not be to replace any state benefits to which the applicant may be entitled and must not jeopardise the applicant’s entitlement to any state benefit. 

2.3     The need must be genuine and measurable.

2.4     We will make the assessments on a case by case basis, and priority will be given to those in severe financial distress, including applicants who:

• Have been made redundant during the current period
• Have little or no savings
• Are in freelance and contract work that has been curtailed during this period and support is unavailable or at a very low level

We would also not normally support awards to make up the difference in expected earned income for members on furlough receiving 80% of their salary or freelancers receiving 80% of estimated income, except for members on or below the living wage.

2.5     Consideration may be given for a second award of £500 after a three-month period if a continuing case for hardship is made, though noting as above the limitation on funds available.

2.6     Please complete the form available on this site and forward to info@museumsassociation.org.

Each year, the Trustees announce the amount that is available to individual members undertaking professional development.

Applications are reviewed on a monthly basis, and should be submitted to tamsin@museumsassociation.org.

Each application will be considered individually but, in general:

1.1      If you are undertaking one of our core professional development programmes – the AMA, Transformers or the FMA you are able to apply for financial support for professional development opportunities both run by the MA and by external providers where it meets the needs of your professional development plan. This continues as an alumni benefit.

1.2     If you are a member but not participating in a core MA professional development programme, then you are able to apply for financial support for professional development opportunities ONLY run by the MA.

1.3     Please note where funds are requested to pay for participation in the core programmes then this will cover a maximum of 75% part-payment for the 2020/21 financial year.

1.4     Please note funding can be sought to enable participation in professional development activities – for example travel and subsistence or childcare costs.

1.5      Applicants must be a current individual member of the Museums Association and preference is given to those self-funding and paying their own expenses.

1.6     We welcome applications from paid members of staff, volunteers and freelancers.

1.7     Please see the below for guidance on how to complete your application.

Guidance Note 1 – Summary of Professional development activity for which funding is required

In describing the professional development activity for which funding is required, you should include the following:

• Category of professional development activity, whether accredited, formal, informal.
• If the activity constitutes accredited professional development (courses, workshops or seminars) please give details of the course provider, the title of the course, workshop or seminar and a description of the qualification, you should provide as much detail as possible.
• If the activity constitutes a formal professional development (courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, coaching or mentoring) please give details of the provider, the title conference organiser.
• If you are applying for funding for an informal professional development activity, for example, to help with the purchase of learning materials, such as books, online learning materials etc, you should also provide as much detail as possible.
• Timescale – an estimate of the number of hours of professional development s the activity will constitute and over what time period.

Guidance Note 2 – Describe how the activity will contribute towards your professional development

You should explain to what extent the activity will enable you to achieve your identified professional development goal(s) and career aspirations, and where applicable make direct reference to your professional development plan to identify which goal(s) the activity will contribute towards, and/or how it will benefit your career aspirations.

Guidance Note 3 – Benefits of undertaking Professional development activity for which funding is required

In outlining what you anticipate will be the benefits of the activity for which funding is required, you should think about the following areas:

• How the activity will contribute to your own personal and professional development, enhancing your current role and/or contributing to future aspirations.
• Whether and in which ways the activity will contribute towards the organisational objectives of your museum, museum-related organisation and/ or the sector.
• Whether and in which ways the activity will have benefits for the wider museums profession and sector.