ACM Trends: Data-Driven Outcomes for Children’s Museums
A research-focused series has helped professionals identify and understand patterns in their field and plan for shifts that will influence their work.
Nonprofits, including cultural organizations like museums, zoos, aquariums, and libraries, fulfill important roles in society. They provide opportunities for the public to engage in various informal learning activities. These organizations need access to actionable research that they can use to identify gaps, improve their operations and programming, support performance benchmarking, and enhance professional skills development for staff and volunteers. Knology partners with professional associations to provide the kinds of insights that non-profit organizations, leaders, and professionals need to plan for the future and better serve their communities.
In 2016, Knology partnered with the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) to launch an initiative that does just that. The ACM Trends series publishes research to help professionals in the children’s museums field to understand patterns and anticipate shifts that will influence their work. Each volume features a selection of reports focused on the unique needs of children’s museums as a sector. Drawing on data pooled from ACM member institutions coupled with external public datasets, these reports provide practical synthesis on a range of topics, and summaries of the direct implications for the management of children's museums. Each report draws attention to an emerging issue or opportunity for the field, and suggests ways that leaders of children’s museums can proactively use data to advance their work.
Since the publication of the first ACM Trends report in 2017, children’s museums have used the information to understand and shape their operations. Below, we provide a brief synopsis of each report that has been produced as part of the series so far, starting with the most recent. Each report analyzes a single trend. We have categorized the reports by volume, and within each volume, we have arranged the associated reports by chronological order. For more information, please contact the series editor, Kate Flinner, at KateF@knology.org.
Cover Photo by Note Thanun on Unsplash
ACM Trends Volume 4
The reports in this volume focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ACM member institutions, and the implications for the sector as a whole.
4.1: Museums in a Pandemic: Snapshot of Impacts
The first report in this volume provides an early overview of the initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s museums. It highlights their efforts to find funding, plans for the immediate future, and the effects of the pandemic on staffing and memberships. The following reports delve more deeply into these topics.
4.2: Museums in a Pandemic: Financial Impacts by Mid-May 2020
This report focuses specifically on the field’s early efforts to navigate financial sustainability in the wake of the crises. The results can help museum leaders identify next steps, as well as guide their efforts to advocate for support from funders and policymakers.
4.3: Museums in a Pandemic: Workforce Impacts
This trends report focuses on the children’s museum workforce. Specifically, it looks at the effects of the pandemic on full- and part-time staff, as well as volunteers. Its findings offer opportunities for children’s museums to reflect on staffing decisions. The report also addresses children’s museums’ efforts to communicate with personnel throughout the pandemic.
4.4: Museums in a Pandemic: Impacts for Audiences & Partners
This Trends Report focuses on what children’s museums’ efforts to support their audiences as they prepare to reopen and restart public programming. It also explores how museums are trying to find support for their work by cultivating new or enhancing existing partnerships.
4.5 Museums in a Pandemic: Snapshot of Impacts in Fall 2020
The fifth report in this volume provides a picture of the children's museum field six months into the pandemic. It presents initial impressions of data on funding, financial reserves, collaborations, opening for in-person visitors, and staffing.
4.6 Museums in a Pandemic: Audience Experiences
This Trends Report features the complexities of reopening museum buildings to in-person visits, and the costs involved in this undertaking. It examines the wide range of public health and safety measures museums have put into place, and the ways that they have managed on-site visitors. This report also offers a glance at initial costs of reopening for different sizes of museums.
ACM Trends Report Volume 3
This volume of the Trends Reports focuses on philanthropic foundations engagement with and support for children’s museums. It also assesses some of the diversity measures that museums use.
3.1: How are Foundations Investing in Children’s Museums?
This first report focuses on philanthropic investment in children’s museums. Using a representative sample of data on foundations’ involvement, this report looks at how philanthropic foundations have targeted different types of support for children’s museums, as well as the role that museum size plays.
3.2: Changing Priorities in Foundation Grants to Children’s Museums

3.3: Measuring Diversity in Children’s Museums & Their Communities

ACM Trends Report Volume 2
This volume of the Trends Reports uses various measures to assess the economic impact of children’s museums.
2.1: The Economic Impact of Children’s Museums: The Ripple Effect of Spending

2.2: The Economic Impact of Children’s Museums: Our Jobs, Their Jobs, All Jobs

2.3: The Economic Impact of Children’s Museums: Region Matters

ACM Trends Report Volume 1
This first volume of the Trends Reports analyzes specific characteristics of museums including their size, needs, audiences, community engagement, funding sources, and more. Each report highlights opportunities for children’s museums of all types to grow and expand their audience base.
1.1: Measuring Museum Size

1.2: Small Museums: Priorities and Opportunities for Growth

1.3: Medium Museums: Priorities and Opportunities for Growth

1.4: Large Museums: Characteristics and Comparisons

1.5: Museum Accomplishments and Needs

1.6: Reaching Nontraditional Families

1.7: Using Museum Size & Locale to Understand Capacity

1.8: Community Engagement: Children’s Museums as Community Facilitators

1.9: Investing in Systems for Learning: Facilities, Audiences, & Partnerships

1.10: Making a Museum Sing: the Children’s Museums Workforce

1.11: Where’s the Money Coming From? Children’s Museums’ Operating Budgets in 2016

1.12: Where’s the Money Going? Children’s Museums’ Expenses
