International Partnerships Among Museums                              Benefits of Participation

The IPAM program helps museums face the future as they strive to provide a wider worldview to their audiences as events occurring across the globe increasingly affect us politically, economically, and emotionally. Through the program, museums can also raise the level of cultural competence, a familiarity and openness to cultures different from our own and a knowledge that we all have something to learn from one another, within their communities and help usher humanity safely into the future. Museums are charged with the protection of the world's cultural, scientific, natural, and civic resources; working across borders is an ideal way to fulfill this mission.

In order to help museums and their staff accomplish their goals, IPAM provides the framework, time, impetus, and financial support for initiating and carrying out an international collaboration with a partner institution. The program can be used to initiate a new project or to advance a pre-existing activity. A small and specific set of project goals can be accomplished through IPAM, or participation in the program can form one component of a larger project plan.

The long term benefits of IPAM are proven. Ninety eight percent of participating museums report satisfaction with the IPAM program and would recommend it to other institutions. More than 85% of participating U.S. institutions continue some form of international activity after IPAM, and following their exchanges, 75% of museums have been able to raise additional funding to expand upon their original IPAM project. Participating staff say they are reinvigorated by their experiences and return to their institutions with new ideas and renewed energy.