The strategic and holistic Organizational Assessment helps a museum:

• look at its operations from the perspective of how well activities, resources, and mission align with each other, and with professional ethics, practices, and standards.
• have a solid foundation to build on for long-term health and impact, by placing significant emphasis on thinking, acting, and planning strategically.
• assess its organizational alignment, capacity; leadership and organizational structure; risk management; and organizational culture.
• define key areas of operations or functions that need to be strengthened.

New in 2025: We now offer a Governance supplement to the MAP Full Suite Organizational Assessment, available as an add-on. This is an addition to the Workbook containing more self-assessment questions and activities focused on governance for museums who want to do a slightly deeper dive on their board structure and function to maximize efficiency and strengthen board-staff relationships.

Learn more about the Organizational Assessment.

The Collections Stewardship Assessment helps a museum’s governing authority and staff focus on issues related to collections management. It helps a museum:

• focus on practical, ethical, and strategic collections issues and activities related to the care and management of collections per professional practices and standards.
• look at the collections within the context of the museum’s total operations, plans, and resource allocation.
• increase knowledge, recognize and mitigate risk, take action, prioritize long-term collections stewardship issues.
• gain physical and intellectual control of the collections.
• write collections polices and plans.

Learn more about the Collections Stewardship Assessment.

The Education & Interpretation Assessment evaluates how well a museum is carrying out its educational role and mission. It helps a museum:

• meet core standards for education and interpretation.
• look at the museum’s current content delivery vehicles, such as its exhibitions, tours, and programs, and considers them in context with the museum’s community, audiences, and other aspects of operations.
• be responsive, relevant, and trusted source of learning and educational partner in its larger education ecosystem.
• looks at its educational content creation and delivery from the perspective of organizational values.

Learn more about the Education & Interpretation Assessment.

The Community & Audience Engagement Assessment looks at what roles the museum plays in its community, and vice versa. It helps a museum:

• focus on its awareness and understanding of, and relationship with, its various communities and audiences; and their perception of, and experience with, the museum.
• gather better input from constituents, and develop a more nuanced view about the community’s and audiences’ demographics and needs.
• respond to the changing nature of its audiences by incorporating these findings into planning and operational decisions.
• look at its culture and actions when it comes to organizational values—all of which impact its long-term financial sustainability.

Learn more about the Community & Audience Engagement Assessment.