Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund
Using museum collections to improve inclusion and equitable working with community partners
Collections Fund impact report
The Museums Association has been awarding the collections fund on behalf of Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for over 11 years. We’ve awarded over £11m to 170 projects that demonstrate the significance, distinctiveness and power of collections to people.
The fund has changed over time, with an increased emphasis on innovative collections practice with social impact. During spring and summer 2020 we reacted to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns by pivoting the fund to provide quick-turnaround, innovative interventions to support engagement with collections at a time when physical and traditional access wasn’t possible.
We have put together some of our key learning from the fund, highlighting its gradual evolution over the years we have run it and demonstrating the impact the fund can have on collections, people and the museum sector.
The report
Image credit: Women of Tyneside project, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums