Annual Reports

Our latest Annual Report details our work in 2023/24 across the UK.

President’s introduction

The past year has been a turbulent and challenging time for our communities and our sector. The continuing cost of living crisis, the impact of climate change and events such as the far-right riots have impacted all nations of the UK and shone a light on the divisions in society.

Museums have a vital role to play in providing safe and welcoming spaces, and also in bringing people together to better understand contemporary issues, using our incredible collections as inspiration for reflection and discussion. Museums can help us all to understand our past, make sense of what’s happening now, and shape a fairer and greener future.

When I was elected President of the Museums Association (MA) in April, my focus was on several key areas – advocacy for the sector at a time of significant change; helping museums develop their financial and environmental sustainability; supporting our staff and volunteers and ensuring that our workforce represents the diversity of the communities we serve; and continuing our work on climate justice. I am pleased to say that the MA continues to deliver in all of these areas.

Our members have told us about the pressure that they are under and we have responded by making the strongest possible case for investment in our sector. We published our Museum Manifesto, which outlines the social value that museums deliver and the need for sustained funding.

The MA has worked in partnership with other sector bodies to make sure that politicians and key stakeholders understand the pressure that the sector is under, as well as the fantastic work that we deliver – and how we help deliver the missions of others. The general election has brought about a change of government at Westminster, and we will continue our advocacy for museums across all four nations of the UK.

We have listened to members’ concerns about wellbeing and low pay and have relaunched our Members Support Fund to provide help for members facing financial difficulties, including inclusive membership and events places, and support for professional development.

We know that our members need support to navigate an ever-changing sector and we have developed a fast-track AMA, Career Conversations, new Freelance and Consultant Membership and are launching a Freelance Hub on our website.

As well as these priorities, we have continued our review of the Code of Ethics and the review period has now been extended to Conference 2025. This will give ample time for consultation and further feedback. We know this is a critical document for members and the wider sector and we are keen to hear all of your views so that the Code remains as relevant as possible.

Our equalities work includes our Anti-racist Museums Programme, which is funded by the MA to take six museums on a journey to becoming anti-racist organisations. We look forward to the evaluation of the programme so that we can further develop this important work. And we continue to deliver substantial funding to the sector through the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund which has delivered more than £11m to 170 projects over the past 11 years.

As a UK-wide organisation we have a responsibility to serve our members in all nations of the UK and as part of that commitment we have reviewed our governance with the aim of recognising and reflecting all nations better, improving representation and engagement and delivering best practice.

The year ahead will undoubtedly hold challenges for us all, as well as opportunities to work with our communities and our collections to make a positive difference to people’s lives. The MA will be here to support you – today and in the future.

Annual General Meeting 2024

The report also contains the agenda for our Annual General Meeting, which was held digitally, working with our independent voting provider MiVoice to allow all members to vote before and during the AGM session at our annual conference on 12 November 2024.

The AGM session opened with a keynote from our president and finished with the announcement of the winners of the Museums Change Lives Awards. All motions were passed.