Arts Council England have commissioned South West Museum Development to undertake a targeted piece of research to gain a deeper understanding of the museum and heritage sector’s current needs. This research and its findings will allow Arts Council England to identify better ways of working with the sector, raise awareness of, and access to, funding opportunities and development support.

We want to hear from all sections of the museum and heritage workforce, including paid staff, trustees, volunteers, freelancers, consultants, and others engaged in delivering, or supporting, Accredited and non-Accredited museum and heritage services across Art Council England’s South West Area*.

Share your views and experience by clicking here before 12 noon on Wednesday 1 March 2023.  It will take you less than 15 minutes. 

This approach includes gathering feedback from the museum and heritage workforce alongside several focus groups.  We are particularly interested to hear from freelancers or consultants that have worked with museums or heritage organisations in the Arts Council England’s South West Area* to support them to apply for, secure and/or deliver Arts Council England’s, or other, project funding. You can share your views and experience here.  If you are interested in joining a focus group for freelancers and consultants on Monday 27 February held online between 2pm- 4pm by contacting us at [email protected].  In line with our Working with Freelancers Principles developed in partnership with Museum Freelance, participation in this focus group will be remunerated.  No preliminary preparation for attendance at the focus group is required. 

We welcome participation from all sections of the museum and heritage workforce irrespective of whether you have experience of applying for project funding, delivering projects or even if this is not your usual area of activity.  

You are invited to participate through this direct link https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/swace23/ to an online survey tool called SmartSurvey.  The survey will take between 10 and 15 minutes depending on if you are answering as an individual or on behalf of an organisation.  The survey tool will use logic to skip questions that are not relevant based on how the first questions are asked.  Please do select ‘Do not know’ if there are questions you can’t answer.  If you have any questions or problems in participating through SmartSurvey please contact us [email protected]  

*This includes the South West region, Hampshire Solent, and the Isle of Wight. 

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Aside from this research project, South West Museum Development provides small grants as well as working with Arts Council England and other funders to raise awareness of their grant programmes.  We recommend signing up to our newsletter to stay up to date with grant schemes as they are launched, with our Small Grants scheme opening soon. Our On Display! Conservation Grant programme of grants up to £1000 is open with tailored advice from the South West Museum Development Conservation Development Officer to support the conservation to objects and put them on display in your museum  

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Data and privacy statements 

South West Museum Development (Bristol City Council) is commissioned by Arts Council England to deliver this research project.  As the contractor, we operate as the Data Processer for Arts Council England.  Survey responses are stored and processed in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (2018)  

Data Protection and General Privacy Notice – Arts Council England 

Privacy Policy -South West Museum Development (Bristol City Council) 

No personal information will be published in publicly available reports or datasets or shared with other organisations. As the Data Processor, on behalf of Arts Council England, we supply only aggregated data generated through the survey.  Only if the individual providing the data has consented (by ticking the box at the end of their survey) to share their contact details and survey return, will it be shared with Arts Council England.