About Us

Four images in a row showing museum staff in a group at a talk, drawing a picture, sitting with notepads at a training event, and in a museum gallery moving a large pair of antlers into a display.

Who we are and what we do

NWFed is here to support everyone working or volunteering, or with a professional interest in, museums, art galleries and heritage organisations in the North West and Isle of Man.

We support your professional development, advocate for your work and strengthen you and your museums through partnerships, training and networking, including our In Conversation and Museum Basics events. We are led by our members, including museums, galleries and heritage organisations, and individuals from across the museum workforce.

Find out how to join NWFed.

Our History

NWFed (formerly the North West Federation of Museums and Art Galleries) is one of ten museum federations in the UK and was the first to be founded in 1927.

We are a company limited by guarantee and have been a charity since 2009. We remain a grassroots organisation, led by our members.

We are managed by a board of trustees from varied museum and heritage backgrounds. We offer regular opportunities for members to get involved in running NWFed by joining our board and to support our programme by contributing expertise and experience to our professional development events.

Meet our Team

Our Members

Our current institutional members are:

Astley Hall
The Atkinson
Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery
Bolton Museum
Craven District Council
Gallery Oldham
Greater Manchester Police Museum,
Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library
Imperial War Museum North
Lancashire County Council Museums
The Lowry
Macclesfield Museums
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Historic Buildings Trust (Elizabeth Gaskell House)
Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections
Manchester Museum (University of Manchester)
National Football Museum
National Museums Liverpool
People’s History Museum
Prescot Museum
Ribchester Fort
Salford Museum
Tameside District Council
Warrington Museum
West Cheshire Museums
West Kirby Museum

A warm welcome to our newest members:

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum
Hat Works Museum
Quaker Tapestry Museum,
Peter Scott Gallery (Lancaster Arts)

Our Partners

Five members of the People's History Museum community team standing looking at the camera. — The *People’s History Museum* Community Team

We work with regional and national partners to support our work, including:

Museum Development North West
Museums Association
The Whitworth, which provides our company address:
- c/o Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER

Find out more about NWFed

Memorandum of Association

Articles of Association

Board Member Code of Conduct

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan

In Conversation

Our In Conversation events take place in person and online, covering key current issues in the sector. You’ll hear from expert speakers with inspiring case studies, and have the chance to contribute your expertise too.

Museum Basics

Museums Basics are focused, small group training events covering critical practical museum knowledge, like object marking and labelling, packing and storage, and disaster planning.