All museums seeking accreditation for the first time must submit an application form.  The application gathers basic information about an institution so the Accreditation Program staff can assess its eligibility and readiness to begin the rigorous review process. Accredited museums undergoing a subsequent ("reaccreditation") review do not submit an application form. 

In the application form you will answer questions and provide attachments that tell the program staff about your museum’s mission, ethics, planning, leadership, organizational structure, staff, collections, education and interpretation, finances, and facilities—the same areas covered in the Self-Study Questionnaire used later in the accreditation review process. Some questions explore issues that are frequently a problem for museums in their reviews.  The application form is an important tool to self-diagnose your museum’s readiness to enter the Program.

Please contact the Accreditation Program staff as you work on the application—we can help you decide whether you are ready to apply, and answer any questions. Our role is to help you have a successful review. Take advantage of our experience to guide you through each step of the accreditation process.

Application Form

The official program application consists of 15 pages of questions preceded by several pages of instructions, question answering guidelines, and a glossary. 

     The application is a Word document.  After you click on the link below, save a copy to your computer and fill it out.  (Note: it must be submitted in hard copy because it includes a few attachments and signatures. Handwritten applications will not be accepted) If you have any problems or questions, contact Pamela Feltus, Accreditation Coordinator at pfeltus@aam-us.org or 202-289-9103.

The 2010 application form will be available by December 1, 2009. It will have additional sections from the 2009 form, so you will need to submit the 2010 form for all 2010 application. In the meantime, you can still view the 2009 form to help start guiding you:  2009 AAM Accreditation Program Application

Deadlines

The 2009 deadline has passed. 2010 deadlines will be announced by December 1, 2009.

An application may be submitted at any time, but is only reviewed and processed at the close of the application period during which it was submitted.

Applicants are notified about the status of their application approximately 4-6 weeks following the closing date of the acceptance period. At that time, accepted applicants will receive all the information and instructions needed to begin the one year self-study process, plus their application fee invoice.

Application Fee

There is an application fee of $400 for each institution applying, which is billed to the museum if and when it is accepted into the program. For more information about the Application Fee, see Accreditation Costs and the application form itself.