We support museums in the South West to gain and maintain Accreditation

The museum Accreditation scheme sets out the industry standard which enables museums to review and build upon:

  • How you are running your museum
  • How you manage your collections
  • How you engage with users

You can find out which museums in the South West Area are part of the scheme here:

  • List of Accredited museums in the South West Area: Download here
  • List of Working Towards Accreditation museums in the South West Area: Download here

How can we help?

We can provide advice and support with your queries about the current arrangements and the Accreditation standard itself.

Please contact us using the Accreditation drop down and the best person to answer your question will be in touch.

We have dedicated local place-based Museum Development Officers to provide advice and connect you to wider networks. Tim Burge is our Technical Accreditation Adviser dedicated to supporting museums with Accreditation.

Grantium

In May 2019 Arts Council England changed the way Accreditation applications and returns are made. You will now need to apply through Grantium.

Arts Council England are no longer accepting hard copies or e-mail versions of documents.

Below are our top tips to help you file your applications or returns:

  1. Check if anyone in your organisation has applied through Grantium in the last three years. If so you will already have an Applicant Profile.
  2. If your museum has never used Grantium before, your museum will need to create an Applicant Profile.  To do this you will need a copy of your museum’s constitution and bank account information.
  3. Plan ahead: there is a 10 day validation period for your Applicant Profile to be approved.
  4. The person inputting the application/return and the person responsible for accepting the Accreditation award on Grantium will need to create individual User Accounts. This can be the same person, but the person accepting the award must have authority to sign contracts on behalf of the museum.
  5. Always ensure that more than one person has access to the Applicant Profile – in case that person moves on from your organisation.
  6. All documents must be uploaded through Grantium. There is an additional attachments section to use at the end for anything extra that has not already been covered on the form.

Download a copy of the Standard and full Accreditation guidance.

Need help?

If you have any trouble accessing the form or any other technical difficulties with it, your first contact should be Arts Council England’s Customer Services.

Contact your local Museum Development Officer for help with the Standard and the content of the application/return if you need advice.

Accreditation Mentors

Accreditation Mentors provide specialist support with the Accreditation applications and returns which are every five years.

Arts Council England advises that all museums should have access to qualified professional staff for support in all aspects of Accreditation. For smaller museums this can be an Accreditation Mentor who can provide specialist advice.

Finding an Accreditation Mentor for your museum

Get in touch and we can help you find a mentor and ensure you get the right support when working to gain and maintain Accreditation.

Interested in becoming an Accreditation Mentor?

Do you have a minimum of three years professional experience in the museum sector? Becoming an Accreditation Mentor is great for Continuing Professional Development. It is an opportunity to share your professional experiences and be a valued source of support for a smaller museum.

As a Sector Support Organisation we help connect museum professionals to a suitable museum so get in touch and we can start the conversation.

Accreditation resources

Accreditation: Arts Council England’s guidance

Arts Council England's guidance for their Accreditation Scheme, which sets nationally agreed standards for museums in the UK

Accreditation: Our top tips

Find out our top 10 tips to make the Accreditation Standard work for you