Roots & Branches

Roots & Branches is an award-winning, environmentally-driven collaborative project between Museum Development England (MDE), The Carbon Literacy Project and Manchester Museum.

Museum Development Midlands (MDM) is delighted to continue the partnership with Museum Development England (MDE) to continue to deliver Roots and Branches to museums across the whole of England.

The Programme will help to shape an environmentally aware and active sector, giving museums the tools to respond to ‘Let’s Create’, Art Council England’s 10-year strategy in which environmental responsibility is at the core.

The current Roots and Branches programme builds on the huge success of the original Roots and Branches programme from 2021-2024.

From Autumn 2021 to March 2024 the project, supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, saw 14,11 people trained using the Carbon Literacy for Museums Toolkit and participants were given additional opportunities to converse, experiment, and test new ideas for sustainable practice in museums.

The current Roots & Branches online programme includes:

• Carbon Literacy courses

• Trainer Support Sessions

• Seeds for Action Connect & Co-Work sessions

• Seeds for Action In Focus sessions

• Seeds for Action Case Studies

All upcoming training and events are listing on our training and events page here.

MDE will continue the roll-out of Carbon Literacy training and support for environmental practice across museums in England. Priority for places across the Programme will be for Accredited Museums and those Working Towards Accreditation in England that are not DCMS sponsored National museums or ACE funded National Portfolio Organisations.

The Carbon Literacy for Museums Toolkit is also available to all museums who may wish to roll out Carbon Literacy training in their own organisations. For more information about Carbon Literacy and the Museums Toolkit, see here

Who do I contact if I have questions?

The Roots & Branches Programme is managed by MD North on behalf of MDE. You can contact Alison Criddle, Museum Development Adviser: Environmental Responsibility at Museum Development North by emailing alison.criddle@museumdevelopmentnorth.org.uk or email MDM at enquiries@mdmidlands.org.uk

Grants

Museum Development Midlands (MDM) is delighted to launch our new Roots and Branches Grants to support Carbon Literate museums to embed learning, take action and make change. We can fund a wide range of activity to help you to improve your environmental responsibility, from energy audits to new displays.

These grants are through Museum Development Midlands for Midlands museums as are administered separately from the National Roots and Branches programme by the Midlands team. If you have any queries or would like to discuss these further please contact the Museum Development Midlands team at enquiries@mdmidlands.org.uk

Important information:

• Maximum grant: £3,000

• Key dates: This funding stream is open now. We will accept applications until 5pm, Friday 30 January 2026, or until all the grant fund has been allocated (whichever is earliest)

• Eligibility: you must be a Carbon Literate individual working within a museum in the Midlands that is either Accredited or Working Towards Accreditation and that is not in Arts Council England’s National Portfolio (NPO). You must have completed a Carbon Literacy course through Museum Development England since June 2022.

Please ensure you are using the most up to date version of the application form, which you can download here: Roots and Branches Grant Application Form