Skills Development Bursary
The Skills Development Bursary is a new Museum Futures funding opportunity which enables museum teams to invest in their collective learning and professional development. The bursary, of up to £3000, supports teams to build the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to strengthen their organisation and respond to the changing needs of the museum sector.
The bursary is designed to support skills development in areas that will help museums become more resilient, innovative, and sustainable. This may include building skills in income generation, innovation, commercial development, audience engagement, partnership working, digital practice, climate and sustainability or other areas that enhance an organisation’s capacity to adapt and thrive.
The bursary also welcomes applications from museums that are already working collaboratively with other museums. Where teams are developing shared approaches, tackling common challenges, or exploring new opportunities together, the bursary can support collective skills development that strengthens both individual organisations and the wider sector.
What can be covered?
Proposals should focus on activities that develop the capabilities of a team not of an individual, with clear benefits that can be embedded across the organisation. This could include:
- In-house or online training programmes, mentoring or coaching and facilitated workshops for your teams
- Development of key skills including strategy planning, fundraising, communications and marketing, customer service and audience engagement
- Development of key commercial skills including commercial development, entrepreneurship, innovative processes and creative business models
- Development of key digital skills including managing websites, CRM systems, online retail, AI, data protection and cyber security
- Opportunities that help teams embed environmentally sustainable practices, reduce organisational impact, improve climate resilience, or develop the knowledge and skills needed to support the museum’s environmental responsibilities.
- Attendance at conferences, seminars or specialist events that provide opportunities to gain and enhance new skills, build networks and bring fresh ideas back to your organisation (minimum of 2 team members attending)
Applications should demonstrate how the proposed activity will address an identified organisational skills need, ensure that learning is shared and embedded across the team and ultimately support the museum’s long-term sustainability.
Who is eligible to apply?
To be eligible for this bursary you must meet the following criteria:
- Completed the organisational health checker and subsequently met with a member of MGS.
- Able to demonstrate a clear need to undertake the activity
- Able to demonstrate that the training will contribute to the resilience of your organisation and have a lasting legacy.
- the training must be undertaken by teams and not individual applicants.
Training should be booked within 3 months of your bursary approval and completed within 6 months.
How to apply
This bursary is only available to Museum Futures Organisations. If you wish to be involved with Museum Futures, the first step is to complete an Organisational Health Checker and return it to the Museum Futures Team.
If you are already involved with Museum Futures, please email the team about your interest in this bursary.