Museums and galleries in England have been asked to take part in a survey on the extent to which they are engaged in delivering public services in areas such as healthcare and education.
The survey is part of the three-year Cultural Commissioning Programme, which launched in July to raise awareness of opportunities and build relationships between the cultural and public service sectors.
The £895,000 programme is funded by Arts Council England and will be delivered by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, in partnership with the New Economics Foundation, New Philanthropy Capital and arts network Mission Models Money.
The initiative reflects the emerging trend among local authorities, NHS trusts and other public agencies to put statutory services up for tender, rather than delivering them directly.
It aims to assess how arts and cultural organisations can be better commissioned to achieve social impact and to create greater awareness among commissioners about the potential of the cultural sector to fulfil their requirements.
Although bidding for tenders can be resource heavy, the potential benefits to the museum sector include reaching new audiences, diversifying income and demonstrating tangible impacts to funders.
The programme’s project manager, Jessica Harris, said: “Cultural commissioning is happening in pockets all over the country, but without a single cohesive vision. The programme aims to build up an understanding of what good practice looks like and to facilitate meaningful, sustainable relationships between these sectors.”
The survey is part of the programme’s initial research phase. Building on the findings, it will fund a series of training events, pilot projects and case studies, as well as developing resources to help signpost the cultural sector’s work to commissioners.
The survey can be completed at http://mus.ms/19d2lKI before 6 October.
The survey is part of the three-year Cultural Commissioning Programme, which launched in July to raise awareness of opportunities and build relationships between the cultural and public service sectors.
The £895,000 programme is funded by Arts Council England and will be delivered by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, in partnership with the New Economics Foundation, New Philanthropy Capital and arts network Mission Models Money.
The initiative reflects the emerging trend among local authorities, NHS trusts and other public agencies to put statutory services up for tender, rather than delivering them directly.
It aims to assess how arts and cultural organisations can be better commissioned to achieve social impact and to create greater awareness among commissioners about the potential of the cultural sector to fulfil their requirements.
Although bidding for tenders can be resource heavy, the potential benefits to the museum sector include reaching new audiences, diversifying income and demonstrating tangible impacts to funders.
The programme’s project manager, Jessica Harris, said: “Cultural commissioning is happening in pockets all over the country, but without a single cohesive vision. The programme aims to build up an understanding of what good practice looks like and to facilitate meaningful, sustainable relationships between these sectors.”
The survey is part of the programme’s initial research phase. Building on the findings, it will fund a series of training events, pilot projects and case studies, as well as developing resources to help signpost the cultural sector’s work to commissioners.
The survey can be completed at http://mus.ms/19d2lKI before 6 October.
