Family Friendly
This re-instated grant programme is designed to encourage museums to sign up to and embed the Kids in Museums manifesto.
Museums are be able to apply for a small grant to embed children, family and young people-friendly practices and create museums that are more welcoming to these groups.
In all 18 museums between 2019 and 2024 will be supported to:
- Enable non-national museums to embrace and embed their welcome to children, families and young people
- Enable non-national museums to use the Kids in Museums Manifesto as a development tool, to increase the number of family-friendly museums
- Increase staff confidence in developing family-friendly activities and work
If you have any questions about the Family Friendly Programme please email Rachael Crofts, Museum Development Officer Audiences or Tel. 020 7001 9876
April 2023 – March 2024 Programme: Family Friendly Programme Grants
* Now OPEN to applications *
Closing date for applications: by 5:00 pm on Monday 26 June 2023
MD London has £8,000 (8 grants of £500) to allocate to London’s non-national, non-NPO museums in 2023-2024.
MD London is delighted to re-instate this grant programme for 2023-2024 to enable museums to become more welcoming spaces for children, families and young people. Grants could be used for purchasing a range of equipment such as baby-changing facilities, family friendly signs, easy-to-use activities for families, or for tablets to be used by children in galleries.
Is the Family Friendly Programme grant for you?
Can you answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions:
- Do you want to offer a more permanent welcoming offer to children, families and young people?
- Do you want to make your gallery spaces, cafés and facilities more family friendly and accessible for all?
- Do you want to work with children, families and or young people to improve your events, displays, exhibitions, marketing and/or social media platforms?
- Do you want to improve and increase engagement to your children, family and young people events and activities planned for any upcoming school holidays until March 2024?
- Do you want your museum to be a great place to visit for children, families and young people?
If so, MD London would welcome an application and encourage your museum to apply to this first round of Family Friendly Programme Grants for 2023-2024
Projects will need to be completed by Sunday 3 March 2024
How to apply: More information on eligibility as well as the type of projects the grants programme will support can be found in the Guidance for Applicants here
If you would like to apply, please complete and return an Application Form, along with any supporting documents to the MD Grants email address here
Deadline: before 5:00pm on Monday 26 June 2023. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be accepted
Queries: If you have any questions or would like to discuss your museum’s project or eligibility for the programme, please email Rachael Crofts, MDO Audiences or Tel. 07540 122540
Previous April 2019 – March 2020 Programme
In March 2019 MD London ran its first annual Family Friendly Briefing Session. Delegates were then invited to apply to the associated Family Friendly Grant to support the museum with developing their welcome offer to children, families and young people.
Museum Development London received a large number of applications from museums wishing to apply to the programme. The assessment panel was impressed with the number of strong applications submitted and ultimately decided to fund the following museums:
- Association of Anaesthetists (Anaesthetists' Heritage Centre)
- Brent Museum and Archives
- Bruce Castle Museum
- Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
- John Wesley’s House and the Museum of Methodism
- London Museum of Water and Steam
- The Musical Museum
- Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret
- The William Morris Society (Kelmscott House)
All projects were completed between June 2019 and February 2020, You can find a summary of the projects we funded between April 2019 – March 2020 here (PDF 1.44MB, opens in new tab).