Accreditation
As the museum field’s mark of distinction since 1971, accreditation offers high profile, peer-based validation of your museum’s operations and impact. Accreditation increases your museum’s credibility and value to funders, policy makers, insurers, community and peers. Accreditation is a powerful tool to leverage change and helps facilitate loans between institutions.
Learn about one museum’s Continuum of Excellence journey and Accreditation experience.
Accreditation is based on the
core standards for museums: the
Characteristics of Excellence. Two core questions guide every accreditation review:
- How well does the museum achieve its stated mission and goals?
- How well does the museum’s performance meet standards and best practices as they are generally understood in the museum field, as appropriate to its circumstances?
The accreditation process is centered on self-study and peer review and takes 8-16 months to complete, every ten years. Use the links to the right to learn more about the process, benefits, statistics, and which museums are accredited.