Two current practices that put the community at the heart of the museum are social prescribing and co-production.
Statutory sector organisations recognise that other organisations may have more expertise in areas they are responsible for, and so statutory funding is frequently used to pay experts, such as community groups, to deliver statutory services, especially social care.
Social prescribing is when health professionals refer patients to support in the community, in order to improve their health and wellbeing, for example through cultural activities or museum.
Voluntary and community organisations are much more likely to get statutory funding, and funding from grant-makers, if they deliver public benefit as recognised by the statutory sector. This will be in the form of grants, service level agreements, contracts, or informal agreements.
Co-production creates museum spaces where people can come, interact and touch as well as contribute to and shape exhibitions and collections, the following exercises help you reflect on what this might look like for your museum or a museum you are familiar with.