Future Preparedness Programme: Climate-Related Environmental Management
Many museums are already feeling the impacts from the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and climate change impacts. These long-term environmental changes mean the sector needs to adapt how we manage and operate buildings and care for collections, whilst supporting communities and educating the public on climate action.
The Future Preparedness Programme is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to design a programme to support museums in the north of England to respond to and prepare for climate disruptions through a series of workshops, bespoke support, events and a funding opportunity.
Across the five different strands of the Programme, participants will gain knowledge to:
- Take a data driven approach to further understanding of managing environmental risks to protect museum sites and maintain collections in perpetuity
- Think about pursuing climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience which can inform the development of a climate action strategy
- Maintain and go beyond Museum Accreditation Standard
- Develop effective emergency plans and skills in salvage of collections following environmental incidents
Strand one: Environmental Risks and Management Workshop Series – now open for Expressions of Interest
Expressions of Interest (EOI) are open until 6pm on 20 June 2025 for a cohort of 25 organisations (two people from each organisation can screen share) to attend five online sessions, led by Mortice Consulting. You can find the link to the EOI here. The programme is open to Accredited Museums and those Working Towards Accreditation in the north of England.
The sessions are:
Introductory Session, 10 July 2025, 2-3.30pm
During this session, delegates will get the opportunity to:
- Introduce themselves, share their priorities, challenges and experiences
- Hear more about the programme and the independent learning we will encourage you to do between sessions
Session 1: Future Preparedness – Climate Impact & Our Museums, 16 July 2025, 2-4pm
This session will cover:
- How the changing climate is impacting museums
- Current and potential risks and impacts to buildings, estates, collections and operations
- Relevant tools available to understand current and future risks
Session 2: Future Preparedness – Climate Impact Response, 25 September 2025, 2-4pm
This session will cover:
- How we can mitigate through action
- Explore approaches to mitigating climate change
- Buildings and heritage fabric mitigations and risks
Session 3: Future Preparedness – Process and planning, 16 October 2025, 2-4pm
This session will cover:
- How we can adapt and plan for our climate futures
- Processes and planning
- Discuss disaster preparedness and business continuity
- Fundraising and advocacy
Session 4: Future Preparedness – Our Future, 13 November 2025, 2-4pm
This session will cover:
- Stakeholder engagement
- Funding and Budget planning
- Planning and prioritisation
When completing your EOI please ensure you explain how this programme will impact on the work of your organisation.
Strand two: Bespoke Advice and Support
MD North, with support of freelance expertise, will provide a bespoke support offer for individual museum organisations on risk management, planning, advocacy and fundraising. This will be launched in summer 2025 running to March 2027.
Strand three: Future Preparedness Grants
Launching in Autumn 2025, the aim of the grants will be to enable museums to conduct research and commission reports and surveys to inform action plans for future resilience, build evidence for advocacy, and support funding applications for capital development funding.
The funding would be open for application to Accredited museums in the north of England and targeted at those participating in the wider programme. Individual organisations would be able to apply for up to £10,000 for their project.
Strand four: Capital Development Network
Starting later in the Autumn, we will launch a Capital Development Network. Five in-person events for networking along with peer support opportunities for museums to share learning around planning and delivering capital development projects.
Strand five: Emergency Preparedness Workshop Series
In 2026, there will be opportunities to attend Emergency Planning and practical Emergency Salvage training.