As a recipient of Art Council England (ACE) funding, the four ACE ‘Lets Create’ Investment Principles (IPs) are at the heart of our work at MDM. This encompasses all aspects of our activity plan – from development to delivery – and how we work behind the scenes. Our programming and grants criteria encourages museums of all sizes and types to incorporate the IPs into their practices.
Visit about the Investment Principles Resource Hub on the ACE website.
Ambition and Quality
The MDM Ambition and Quality programme works with museums to develop high quality collections care and management skills through training, support and advice; safeguarding collections and developing interpretation for the benefit of current and future audiences.
MDM gather and use data to help inform planning and measure impact through short and long range evaluation.
Dynamism
The MDM Dynamism programme supports museums to respond to challenges and develop new ways of working through a wide range of development support and training, including; Organisational Health, Accreditation training and advice, Trustees Network, forward planning, business skills, and income generation training. MDM Small Grants enable museums to seize opportunities and grow, undertaking a wide range of activity.
The MDM programme identifies and responds to emerging needs and priorities in the sector, using a range of data insights and sector knowledge provided through the Annual Museums Survey, Museums Organisational Health Check, Skills Needs Survey, evaluation, the MDM Oversight Board, networks and feedback.
Environmental Responsibility
Through the MDM programme museums develop a greater understanding of how Environmental Responsibility can be embedded throughout organisational development, collections care and audience development. Museums are empowered to take action to reduce their environmental impact and engage visitors with issues involving climate change.
MDM embed Environmental Responsibility internally through ensuring environmental impact is considered through programming, travel and communications. All catering at our events is vegetarian and/ or vegan, we carefully consider the need for in-person events and meetings, meeting online when possible and using public transport where available.
The new MDM website prioritises sustainability in every aspect of its design and development. It boasts Lighthouse Scores of 90% or higher and an A rating on websitecarbon.com, reflecting its efficiency. Pages on our site average around 0.1g output of CO2 for each page load, saving over 1g per view from the previous websites. We host our site with Cloud Artisans, a green hosting provider that powers all their services with renewable energy. Additionally, they offset any remaining carbon emissions from our website development through dedicated initiatives, such as Ecologi, ensuring a minimal environmental impact.
Inclusivity and Relevance
The MDM Inclusivity and Relevance programme supports museums to develop more equitable and inclusive organisations for audiences and workforce. Museums can access a range of training and support to develop Equity Action Plans, explore hidden or sensitive narratives within their collections, receive accessibility audits of their venue and training, participate in training focused on lifelong learning, audience development and place-based partnerships.
MDM embeds and promotes Inclusivity and Relevance for programme participants and partner organisations through a considered approach to event programming; including venue selection, a dedicated accessibility budget to support adjustments, and use of the MDM Accessibility Statement. The design of the MDM website has accessibility considerations at its core. We adhere to W3C AA & AAA accessibility standards as a minimum, ensuring that everyone can engage with our content. By utilising the latest technology and design principles, we maintain a consistent and high-quality experience across all devices and screen sizes, making our website accessible to all users, regardless of their individual needs.
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