The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, is accepting applications for the 2017 Museum Assessment Program (MAP) with a deadline of February 1, 2018. MAP is administered by AAM under a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Since its inception in 1981, MAP has helped over 5,000 small and mid-sized museums of all types strengthen operations, plan for the future and meet standards. Through a one-year process of self-assessment, institutional activities and consultative peer review, participating museums emerge from the program with:
a greater alignment of activities, mission, and resources
an analysis of its strengths, weaknesses and opportunities
a prioritized roadmap for improving operations and meeting standards
its practices benchmarked to standards
enhanced credibility with potential funders and donors
improved communications between staff, board and other constituents
expert advice, recommendations, and resources
increased capacity for strategic planning
MAP offers three different assessments to choose from, including Organizational, Collections Stewardship, and Community Engagement.
Program details and a link to the online application are available on the AAM website.
“IMLS is pleased to be able to fund MAP assessments,” said Paula Gangopadhyay, Deputy Director of Museum Services at IMLS. “The program reflects the commitment of the agency to help strengthen museums of all sizes, helping them better fulfill their missions, achieve their goals, and serve the people in their communities.”
“MAP is an example of a program that helps museums in all 50 states and all US territories,” said Janet Vaughan, Vice President, Membership & Excellence for the Alliance. “Around 20,000 museum professionals have participated in MAP with their museum, as a peer reviewer, or both.”
