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.
Accreditation is based on the Core Standards for Museums.
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, and should be done every 10 years.
Learn more about the Continuum of Excellence and how to use it as your pathway to accreditation.
Contact Accreditation, (202) 289-9116