Museums Association of the Caribbean

What Museums Association of the Caribbean does

The Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit professional membership organization founded in 1987 and administratively based in Rivière Salée, Martinique. Its mission is to create a visible and accessible network that enables museums and cultural organizations across the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean to share knowledge, develop standards and best practices, and conserve natural and cultural heritage. MAC convenes the regional museum sector principally through biennial conferences and annual general meetings (2019 Martinique, 2023 Bahamas, 2024 Panama, 2026 Trinidad & Tobago), complemented by a peer-reviewed Caribbean Museums Journal, a multilingual COVID-19 resource hub, virtual programming, an awards program, and internship and travel fellowship pipelines.

MAC's core offering is membership and convening services rather than a software product. Technology consists of a WordPress website (caribbeanmuseums.com), Zoom-based virtual events, Artsteps for the COVID diaspora online exhibition, and online membership/fellowship application forms. The business model relies on a tiered membership schedule (institutional US$100-$300, individual US$50, reduced fee US$30), conference registration fees (discounted for members), corporate and institutional sponsorship of biennial conferences, and donations and grants from partners such as the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and Panama's SENACYT. MAC is an Affiliated Organisation of ICOM and maintains strategic alliances with UNESCO, the Smithsonian, the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM), and the Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique.

Name

Museums Association of the Caribbean

Legal name

Museums Association of the Caribbean

Website

https://caribbeanmuseums.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Museums Association of the Caribbean is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit professional membership organization founded in 1987 that convenes museums and cultural heritage professionals across the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean through biennial conferences, fellowships, an awards program, and a peer-reviewed journal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum Professional Association Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Museum professional association
• Cultural heritage networking
• Professional development programs
• Heritage preservation services
• Annual museum conference

Headquarters

HQ city

Port of Spain

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from institutional and individual members. Institutional memberships tiered by staff size (US$100-300/year) and individual memberships at US$50/year, with reduced rates for students and retirees at US$30/year.
2. Donations: MAC accepts one-time gifts, recurring gifts, and multi-year pledges through its website. Donations support the organization's general operations and programs.
3. Conference Registration Fees: Reduced registration fees for members attending the Annual General Meeting and Conference. Non-members pay higher rates.
4. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate and institutional sponsors support annual conferences, with various sponsorship tiers offering visibility benefits to 100-125 museum and cultural professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Museums Association of the Caribbean is a non-profit professional membership association that supports museums and cultural heritage institutions across the Caribbean region. It sells membership subscriptions (institutional and individual tiers), runs an annual multilingual conference and AGM, administers travel fellowships, publishes the Caribbean Museums journal, and coordinates awards programs, virtual programs, and internship placements. The organization is volunteer-run and affiliated with ICOM.

Product overview

The Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC) offers a portfolio of professional development and networking services for Caribbean museum professionals, centered on its annual multilingual conference and AGM, travel fellowship programs, awards recognition, and peer-reviewed journal Caribbean Museums. Supporting services include virtual programs, COVID-19 resources, internship placements, and membership benefits. MAC does not offer a software product or technology platform; its services are delivered through in-person events, online content, and institutional partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MAC Annual Conference & AGM Annual regional conference and annual general meeting bringing together Caribbean museum professionals for knowledge exchange, networking, and professional development. Features multilingual sessions across English, Spanish, French, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean contexts.
• MAC Membership Institutional and individual membership providing priority access to training, newsletters, reduced conference fees, professional networking, and voting privileges. Institutional tiers: 1-5 staff ($100), 5-10 staff ($200), >10 staff ($300); Individual ($50); Reduced fee ($30).
• MAC Travel Fellowship Program Financial support program providing Caribbean museum professionals with round-trip travel, accommodations, conference registration, and one-year MAC membership to attend annual conferences.
• Trinbagonian Fellowship Local bursary program for Trinidad and Tobago residents working in museums, cultural heritage, or arts sectors, offering 50% conference registration discount, complimentary membership, and travel stipend for the 2026 conference.
• MAC Awards Program Biannual awards recognizing individuals and institutions advancing Caribbean museums and heritage sector. Five categories: Distinguished Service, Outstanding Achievement, Excellence in Philanthropy, Emerging Professional, and Volunteer of the Year.
• Caribbean Museums Journal Online peer-reviewed journal featuring research papers from MAC annual conferences, with volumes covering conservation, youth engagement, digital museums, and heritage topics. Free to members; open access articles available without membership.
• Virtual Programs Online webinar and talk series featuring conversations with museum leadership from Caribbean linguistic regions, workshops on distance learning, disaster response, and pandemic support.
• Internship Program Collaborative internship program with the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM) providing museum professionals with collections, exhibitions, and digital programs experience at Caribbean institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2019 conference: 92 delegates from 36 institutions in 19 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• International Council of Museums (ICOM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987MAC is an Affiliated Organisation of ICOM. All MAC members are required to abide by the ICOM Code of Ethics. This affiliation provides MAC members with access to international museum standards and global museum networks.
• UNESCOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCO logo appears on the Partners page. MAC joined UNESCO and ICCROM to discuss 'Museums After the Pandemic' in July 2020.
• National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner providing funding for travel fellowships through the Reckoning with Our Racial Past program and Office of Strategic Partnerships. Co-hosted the 2017 conference with AAAM in Miami.
• Association of African American Museums (AAAM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with AAAM for the 2017 conference in Miami and 2020 virtual conference. Joint sessions and panels at AAAM conferences.
• Smithsonian InstitutionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected to NMAAHC which is part of the Smithsonian. Supported the ICOM/MAC Disaster Risk Management workshop with the National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian Institution.
• Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership facilitating collaborative internship programs between CAM and MAC. Piloted yearlong internship at National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (2019-2020) with funding from Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage Program.
• Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique (CTM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of MAC's 2019 conference. Collaborated with ICOM on the ICOM/MAC Disaster Risk Management workshop planned for Martinique.
• EU-LAC FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization listed on the MAC Partners page. Co-organized the 2018 conference with EU-LAC-Museums and University of the West Indies.
• Central Bank of Trinidad and TobagomajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for the 2026 MAC Conference. Provided support through the Creative Residency Programme for conference artists.
• Society of Friends of the Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama (SAMAAP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 2024 MAC Conference in Panama. Supporting organization for the Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama.
• Museo del Canal Interoceánico de PanamámajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 2024 MAC Conference in Panama.
• Copa AirlinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided 10% discount on airfare for 2024 conference attendees traveling from Copa Airlines destinations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• EU-LAC Foundation: EU-Latin America/Caribbean partnership foundation that co-organised MAC's 2018 conference with EU-LAC-Museums. Functions as a regional funder and convenor in a related cultural-heritage and bi-regional cooperation space.

Broad incumbents

• International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS): Global non-governmental organisation for heritage conservation and site interpretation, including museums and cultural sites. ICOMOS is a broader incumbent in the adjacent heritage space that MAC engages with on Disaster Risk Management workshops.
• UNESCO Culture Sector: UN agency for culture that participated in MAC's July 2020 'Museums After the Pandemic' discussion and is listed on MAC's Partners page. A broader incumbent that sets global museum and heritage policy MAC aligns with.

Emerging players

• European Museum Forum: European body promoting museum standards and best practice through awards and networking. Operates a similar professional-association-style model (awards, conferences) but at European rather than Caribbean scale.

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM): Network of museum professionals across Commonwealth countries with whom MAC runs a joint internship programme. CAM is a direct counterpart in scope (multi-country, English-speaking Commonwealth) and in programmatic offerings (internships, training, exchanges).
• International Council of Museums (ICOM): Global umbrella association for museums and museum professionals. MAC has been an ICOM Affiliated Organisation since 1987, and ICOM is the direct global analogue in mission (museum standards, ethics, professional development, conferences) at a wider geographic scope.
• Association of African American Museums (AAAM): US-based professional association for museums focused on African American history and culture. AAAM is a co-host of MAC's 2017 Miami conference and a formal partner, with a comparable model of conferences, membership and diaspora-focused programming.
• American Alliance of Museums (AAM): Largest US museum membership association, providing accreditation, advocacy, professional development and an annual meeting. Comparable to MAC in operating model (institutional/individual memberships, conferences, training) but at national US scale.
• Museum Association: UK-based membership association for museum professionals, offering membership tiers, training, advocacy and events. It is the closest national-level structural analogue to MAC's regional professional-association model.

Regional players

• Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA): Regional Caribbean industry association with a parallel Caribbean-wide convening and membership model. While focused on hospitality rather than museums, CHTA represents the same kind of regional, multi-linguistic, multi-territory association structure in the Caribbean.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/caribmuse
• Facebookfacebook.com/caribbeanmuseums
• Instagraminstagram.com/caribmuse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caribbeanmuseums

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Museums Association of the Caribbean