Start your Fellowship journey

The Fellowship of the Museums Association (FMA) is a professional development programme that recognises significant contribution, impact and legacy in the museum sector.

As part of our commitment to diversifying the sector and supporting the development of those who may have experienced barriers to progression, we’re pleased to announce four fully-funded inclusive places for the Fellowship programme. Recipients will receive their first year of FMA enrolment free of charge.

To be eligible for an inclusive FMA place, individuals must be a full member of the Museums Association and have faced barriers due to:

  • Ethnicity
  • Disability
  • Socio-economic background
  • Gender identity or sexual orientation (LGBTQ)

Apply now

Applications for inclusive FMA places are currently closed.

Fellowship at a glance

The FMA is our professional development programme for those already working in leadership who wish to enhance and recognise their practice.

  • Membership requirements: Full or concessionary individual membership
  • Duration: Typically 12 to 36 months
  • Cost: £120 per year. Your first year will be fully funded through the inclusive FMA places programme, and you’ll have opportunities to apply for further financial support where required
  • Suitable for: Anyone with more than 5 years’ experience in the museum sector in a leadership space, either as an employee or freelancer/consultant
  • Competency requirements: To participate in the Fellowship programme, applicants should wish to develop competence and/or validate previous experience to Level 4 of the Museums Association’s Competency Framework. When starting the programme, applicants should sit comfortably at Level 3 across the competencies. Applicants in leadership spaces may not have hands-on experience in all six competencies, but they may have responsibility for these areas of practice

“The FMA gave me the time and space to reflect, to take more of a non-subjective viewpoint, and recognise and process ten years of wibbly-wobbliness – and to be OK with that. For me, the FMA process didn’t mean meeting more people, or training in specific areas, it meant giving myself permission to stop and think.”

Kate Fellows, Head of Learning and Access, Leeds Museums and Galleries