How to get involved with Museum Futures

Scotland’s museums are dealing with real financial and capacity pressures. Museum Futures is a programme of tailored support that responds to them. At the centre of the programme is the Organisational Health Checker (OHC), which will give you a clear picture of where to focus your energy. Support from a dedicated member of the Programme Delivery Team will help you work out what to do next.

Museum Futures starts from your own answers, you can expect to:

receive guidance based on your individual situation and context rather than a fixed checklist
Work with a dedicated Programme Delivery Team contact, who is assigned to help you interpret what priorities are emerging from your OHC responses and guide you through your next steps
Benefit from a holistic approach that combines tailored training opportunities, peer support, consultancy expertise, and access to funding, all shaped by this guidance.

The Museum Futures Programme has opportunities for both Accredited and non-Accredited museums and galleries in Scotland within the programme.

Non-Accredited museums will be asked to complete an eligibility questionnaire prior to completing an OHC so that we can confirm eligibility for the programme.

We use the 2022 International Council of Museums (ICOM) definition of a museum. The eligibility questionnaire will ask for information on your governance, collections, and visitor offer.

Email MuseumFutures@museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk for a copy of the questionnaire.

Getting involved starts with completing an Organisational Health Checker (OHC) self-assessment.

This tool gathers valuable information on different areas of your organisation and creates a report on priority areas you can focus on. Once you’ve completed a submission, a member of the programme delivery team will contact you to arrange a one to one meeting to discuss your priorities and next steps.

A pathway graphic showing a four step process between icons representing each step. Step 1 Complete the Organisational Health Checker. Step 2 Have a 1:1 conversation with a member of the Museum Futures team. Step 3 Get relevant recommendations and training opportunities. Step 4 Access funding and/or take part in training.

You don’t need to complete a OHC to be part of Museum Futures, but it’s necessary to access most of what the programme offers, including paid training, consultant support, and funding.

The OHC covers ten themes: Collections, Communications, Marketing and Advocacy, Financial Management, Funding, Governance, Museum Buildings, Stores and Other Assets, Networks and Partnerships, Organisational Planning and Management, Resilience Needs, and Workforce / Human Resources.

Few organisations have the bandwidth to tackle everything at once, especially when every area feels urgent. The OHC shows you where you’re already strong and where the gaps sit, across all ten themes, so you and your Programme Delivery Team contact can agree what to focus on first rather than guessing.

The OHC isn’t used for screening: there’s no wrong answer that ends your assessment early or rules you out. It’s an exercise to build a full picture of your organisation and operations. An accurate picture helps your Programme Delivery Team contact shape your forward planning and support priorities.

We found the Organisational Health Checker really useful. Myself and two of the board members did it together. It was a useful exercise and really highlighted where our weaknesses and strengths were.
Museum Futures participant

Signing up takes a few minutes, and you can complete it on desktop or mobile. If you run into any issues, contact the Museum Futures team for help.

Answering the questions works best as a team exercise. Bring in a manager and someone from operations, either a staff or a volunteer. Together, you’ll give a fuller answer than one person alone, and your answers will show where your organisation is strong and where it needs work.

Answer every question honestly, and complete the whole form. Your answers will save automatically, so there is no pressure to complete the questions in one go. Make sure you’re happy with your answers before pressing submit as they can’t be changed after this point.

What happens after you submit

Your response will be reviewed and we’ll contact you to arrange a one-to-one conversation with your dedicated programme delivery team contact,

Send us a copy of your most recent accounts and forward plan ahead of this conversation if you have them. These give your contact a fuller picture of your finances and priorities, so you spend the session on advice that fits your situation rather than on background

Complete your Organisational Health Check

Request access to the Organisational Health Check platform and set up your organisation's profile.

Go the OHC Platform

If you have a question about the Museum Futures programme or need help with the OHC platform, contact the programme delivery team at MuseumFutures@museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk.