Introduction

A coalition of museum sector bodies is seeking a researcher or researchers to carry out a piece of work exploring the role that small to medium museums play in places and communities, including their heritage, social, and economic impacts. For the purposes of this research the definition of small to medium is under 50,000 visitors per year, with a particular interest in small museums under 20,000 visitors and volunteer-run museums.

The purpose of the research is to identify and celebrate the role smaller museums have, in a policy context where placemaking discussions about museums and heritage often focus on larger and urban organisations, and to enable the commissioning organisations to advocate for the support museums need to maximise their investment and impact.

The Association of Independent Museums is a thriving UK museum membership organisation with over 1000 museum members, helping heritage organisations to operate as effective charitable businesses. We represent a wide range from some of the largest attractions in the country to small, grassroots heritage organisations across a huge range of subject areas and localities. AIM is funded by Arts Council England as an Investment Principles Support Organisation.

The Welsh Government, through its Culture Division, provides advice to the relevant Ministers on museum, archive, arts and library policy. The Museums Branch of Culture Division delivers a development and support service for the local museum sector, including managing the Museum Accreditation Scheme in Wales, grant programmes, training and advice, and are part of the Museum Development UK network. Welsh Government core funds Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales as a sponsored body.

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) is the National Development Body for Scotland’s museum sector. They support museums and galleries through strategic investment, advice, workforce development and advocacy.  MGS is the lead body for the delivery of Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy 2023-2030. As an independent charity they receive core funding from Scottish Government, which also provides funding to be distributed via grants directly to the museums and galleries sector.

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk

Purpose and scope of the new research

Small and medium museums can play a unique role in their villages, towns, rural areas, and city streets. For smaller localities they may be the only cultural infrastructure, or one of the main civic or community spaces. Small and medium museums often emerge from their communities e.g. social history, locally-sourced collections and local stories, occupying listed or heritage local landmark buildings, and run entirely by or with extensive support from locally-based volunteers (including board members and founders).

We know the impact these organisations can have on their places – for example local identity, civic pride, education, family programming, opportunities for local artists, makers and historians, supporters of local businesses, providing space for locals and tourists – but this knowledge is scattered, piecemeal, and anecdotal. As supporters of small and medium museums, the commissioners are keen to have a report that brings together existing literature and original research into a robust evidence base and a compelling narrative for their role in placemaking, based within the context of current placemaking policy and practice (including regeneration and local growth initiatives) in England, Wales, and Scotland.

Areas of interest include:

• What does the existing research on placemaking, regeneration, cultural infrastructure, and related fields tell us about the role of small organisations?
• What are the current policies and programmes from UK governments (including local authorities) and development agencies on the role of culture in place, especially smaller organisations?
• What is the role of small museum collections in place?
• What do small and medium museums do for their local areas for example in terms of community provision, civic space, storytelling, and audience?
• How do small and medium museums use local people as staff and volunteers?
• How do small and medium museums conceptualise their role in their community and to what extent/in what ways does this drive their strategic and operational decisions?
• How do small and medium museums work with other institutions and/or local networks in their place?
• How do museums support the local economy and support local growth e.g. through drawing in tourism, purchasing? (Answering this question may include reference to the AIM economic impact toolkit)
• What can museum sector bodies do to support the recognition and inclusion of small museums in the current landscape of place policy and investment in the UK?

The research should cover museums UK-wide and both Accredited and non-Accredited museums.

This list is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive and we are interested in other or alternative questions bidders would propose to explore, and how they would gather data and up-to-date examples. The final research questions, scope, and methodology will be agreed with the researchers.

Work of the contractor

We are seeking contractors to undertake this research. We anticipate the consultant(s) will have a sound understanding of placemaking policy and practice, and a familiarity with how small museums and heritage organisations operate.

The research should result in the following outputs:

• A research report
• A summary article for the AIM Bulletin
• A webinar to present findings to stakeholders.

Budget and timings

The budget available for this work is £18,000 inclusive of VAT. We expect to appoint researchers in February and hold a kick-off meeting shortly after, with the project taking 3-6 months and reporting in summer 2026.

Tendering for the research

Proposals should include:

• Brief credentials and evidence of relevant experience of your company and the names and experience of the people who will work on this project.
• Your proposed methodology, including research questions, data gathering, and potential report structure
• Indicative timeline
• A breakdown of your costings
• Two references.

Proposals will be scored on:

• Understanding of the issues 40%
• The extent to which the methodology will reach the desired objectives 30%
• Experience of researchers 20%
• Cost 10%.

Proposals should be no longer than 8 pages and be sent to aimadmin@aim-museums.co.uk by 12pm (noon) on Monday 2 February. For an informal conversation about the project contact Lisa Ollerhead, Director of AIM, on lisa.ollerhead@aim-museums.co.uk.