Who are we?
South West Museum Development (SWMD) is a Sector Support Organisation funded by Arts Council England. We are hosted by Bristol Culture under Bristol City Council and comply with Bristol City Council’s standards and regulations.
Our current funding agreement runs from April 2018 until March 2022 and enables us to work with museums in the south west region of England, as defined by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Our primary clients are museums within the Arts Council’s Accreditation scheme and their respective workforce. Where we have Local Authority agreements and external project funding we also work with heritage organisations and non-accredited museums where this activity complements our core programme.
Registering for our services
In order to access services provided by SWMD or one of its appointed third parties, your organisation must be registered to receive our services. Our services are delivered using grant in aid funding for museums located in the ONS south west region within Arts Council’s Accreditation Scheme. Museums and heritage organisations in local authority areas which financially contribute to SWMD are eligible for additional SWMD services. Museums which fall under this category and are registered with SWMD will be able to access support services, the level of which is determined by Accreditation status and local authority investment.
To ensure SWMD remains complies with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018, staff or volunteers from organisations under our remit must register as individuals. By registering for these services the individual registering agrees that they are acting as a representative of their organisation whether in a paid or voluntary capacity. Please see our Privacy Policy for further information.
What do we define as services?
SWMD considers any of the following to be services which SWMD or an appointed third party provides:
- All advisory services provided by telephone or in writing including email and in person.
- Training and professional development services.
- Consultancy services.
- Grants and/ or bursaries.
- Data collection services.
- Information, updates or invitations to events relating directly to SWMD services
Who do we define as an appointed third party?
Not all services delivered by SWMD are provided by officers employed by Bristol City Council. SWMD works in partnership with other local authorities in the south west ONS region to provide development services for the museum sector within the parameters of its business plan as agreed with our grant in aid funders. A list of our development officers (appointed third parties) can be found here
To find out more about third parties and your data please see our Privacy Policy.