Museum Development Midlands
Museum Development Midlands is a publicly funded regional support organisation that provides training, development programmes, grants, 1:1 advisory, and accreditation support to over 300 Accredited and Working-Towards-Accreditation museums across the 12 counties of the English Midlands, funded by Arts Council England and hosted by Leicestershire County Council.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersGlenfield, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Museum Development Midlands does
Museum Development Midlands (MDM) is a publicly funded regional support organisation for museums operating across the 12 counties of the English Midlands. Funded by Arts Council England and hosted by Leicestershire County Council, MDM delivers a unified programme comprising training and events, development programmes, grants (Open Grants and Workforce Development Grants), one-to-one advisory support, and accreditation support, alongside a library of resources including an Annual Museum Survey, case studies, videos, and toolkits. It also operates a vacancies platform and an Accredited Museums directory covering more than 300 institutions. A five-person regional team is distributed across the Midlands, with the operational headquarters co-located at Leicestershire County Council in Glenfield.
MDM's business model is non-commercial: all services are provided free of charge to eligible museums, with funding derived from Arts Council England and administered through Leicestershire County Council, which acts as Data Controller under UK GDPR. Priority beneficiaries are Accredited Museums and museums Working Towards Accreditation that are not National museums or National Portfolio Organisations, with non-priority museums served on a space-available basis. The organisation is part of a national network of Museum Development providers across England, aligning its programme with ACE's Let's Create Strategy. There is no proprietary technology stack, no software product, and no AI component; distribution is via the organisation's website, email newsletter, social media, in-person training events, and direct advisory engagement.
Museum Development Midlands firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Museum Development Midlands
- Legal name
- Museum Development Midlands
- Website
- https://mdmidlands.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Museum Development Midlands is a publicly funded regional support organisation that provides training, development programmes, grants, 1:1 advisory, and accreditation support to over 300 Accredited and Working-Towards-Accreditation museums across the 12 counties of the English Midlands, funded by Arts Council England and hosted by Leicestershire County Council.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Museum Development Midlands industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Museum Development Services
- NAICS
- Museums (712110)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)
Keywords
Where Museum Development Midlands is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Glenfield
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Museum Development Midlands business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government Funding: MDM is funded by Arts Council England (ACE) and hosted by Leicestershire County Council. The organization provides free support services including training, grants, networking, and advisory services to Midlands museums. There is no commercial revenue model as this is a publicly funded initiative.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Museum Development Midlands product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Museum Development Midlands delivers a programme of museum development services across the 12 counties of the English Midlands, including training events, structured development programmes, grant funding (Open Grants and Workforce Development Grants), one-to-one advisory support, and accreditation support. The initiative is funded by Arts Council England and hosted by Leicestershire County Council, prioritizing Accredited Museums and museums Working Towards Accreditation while extending resources and networking support more broadly to the Midlands museum community.
Product overview
Museum Development Midlands (MDM) is not a software product company but rather a support organization that provides a portfolio of services to Accredited museums and museums Working Towards Accreditation in the Midlands region. The organization offers a unified programme of support comprising five main service areas: Training and Events, Development Programmes, Grants (including Open Grants and Workforce Development Grants), 1:1 Support, and Accreditation support. Additionally, MDM provides resources including an Annual Museum Survey, Case Studies, Videos & Toolkits, and maintains a directory of Accredited Museums across the Midlands. The organization also facilitates a Vacancies platform for advertising paid, voluntary, and freelance opportunities within Midlands-based museums and heritage organizations. These services are funded by Arts Council England and delivered by Leicestershire County Council.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Training and Events Training opportunities, workshops, and sector events for museum staff and volunteers across the Midlands covering museum development topics. Bookings are prioritized for staff and volunteers at Accredited Museums and museums Working Towards Accreditation.
- Development Programmes Targeted development programmes informed by Arts Council England's Let's Create Strategy, helping Midlands museums build capacity and skills through structured cohorts and programme activities.
- Grants Programme (Open Grants and Workforce Development Grants) Financial support through Open Grants and Workforce Development Grants for eligible museums in the Midlands region, with applications processed through the MDM website.
- 1:1 Support Individual advisory and support services for museums facing specific challenges or seeking personalized guidance on development, accreditation, or other operational needs.
- Accreditation Support Support for museums pursuing or maintaining Arts Council England Accreditation status, including access to Accreditation Mentors who provide structured guidance.
- Vacancies Board Platform for advertising paid, freelance, and voluntary opportunities within Midlands-based museums and heritage organizations, with museum employers able to submit opportunities via a dedicated web form.
- Accredited Museums Directory Comprehensive listing of all Accredited museums and museums Working Towards Accreditation in the Midlands region, organized by region and including links to each museum's website.
Companies that use Museum Development Midlands
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Museum Development Midlands technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Museum Development Midlands partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered primary and core.
- Leicestershire County CouncilprimaryLeicestershire County Council hosts Museum Development Midlands. The organization acts as the Data Controller for personal data processed by MDM. MDM team is based throughout the Midlands with ties to LCC.
- National Museum Development Providers NetworkcoreMDM is part of a national network of Museum Development providers across England, enabling knowledge sharing and coordinated support for museums nationwide.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Museum Development Midlands competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Museum Development South East: Regional Museum Development provider covering the South East of England, delivering museum training, development support, and sector resources. Directly comparable to MDM as a peer in the national ACE-funded network serving Accredited museums in a defined region.
- Museum Development North West: Regional Museum Development provider for the North West of England, delivering training, development programmes, and advisory support to museums. Directly comparable to MDM in structure, funding model, and service portfolio within the same ACE-funded national network.
- Museum Development Yorkshire: Regional Museum Development provider serving Yorkshire museums with training, grants, and accreditation support. Directly comparable as a peer regional provider in the same national network, offering substantially similar services to a similar beneficiary base.
- Museum Development North East: Regional Museum Development provider serving museums in the North East of England, providing training, accreditation support, and sector resources. Directly comparable to MDM as a peer regional provider with the same ACE funding relationship and service model.
- Museum Development South West: Regional Museum Development provider for the South West of England, offering training, grants, and 1:1 support to museums. Directly comparable to MDM as a geographically-defined peer within the national network, funded and structured similarly by ACE.
- Museum Development East: Regional Museum Development provider covering the East of England, offering training, grants, and accreditation support to museums. Directly comparable to MDM as a peer regional provider within the national Museum Development network funded by Arts Council England.
Broad incumbents
- National Lottery Heritage Fund: The UK's largest dedicated funder of heritage, distributing National Lottery grants for museums, historic sites, and cultural projects. Comparable to MDM as a heritage-sector funder, though operating at national scale with grant-making as its core function rather than development support.
- The Museums Association: The UK-wide membership body for museums and heritage professionals, offering training, advocacy, and sector support nationally. Comparable to MDM as a sector-support organisation, though operating at a broader national scale with a different funding model (membership and earned income rather than regional ACE hosting).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Museum Development Midlands social profiles
Digital presenceMuseum Development Midlands compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Museum Development Midlands financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Museum Development Midlands leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Museum Development Midlands funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Museum Development Midlands M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Museum Development Midlands
What does Museum Development Midlands do?
Museum Development Midlands delivers a programme of museum development services across the 12 counties of the English Midlands, including training events, structured development programmes, grant funding (Open Grants and Workforce Development Grants), one-to-one advisory support, and accreditation support. The initiative is funded by Arts Council England and hosted by Leicestershire County Council, prioritizing Accredited Museums and museums Working Towards Accreditation while extending resources and networking support more broadly to the Midlands museum community.
Is Museum Development Midlands a public or private company?
Museum Development Midlands is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Museum Development Midlands founded?
Museum Development Midlands was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Museum Development Midlands based?
Museum Development Midlands is headquartered in Glenfield, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Museum Development Midlands make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding.
Who are Museum Development Midlands's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Museum Development South East, Museum Development North West, Museum Development Yorkshire, Museum Development North East, Museum Development South West and Museum Development East. Broad incumbents are National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Museums Association.
Does Museum Development Midlands have an API?
No public API is recorded for Museum Development Midlands.
What industry is Museum Development Midlands in?
Museum Development Midlands's product category is Museum Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAA, Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty). Its NAICS code is 712110 and its SIC code is 7900.