Museums & Cultural Institutions Facility Benchmarking Program

About This Program

This benchmarking group was originally created by the Canadian Museum of Civilization (now Canadian Museum of History) in 2001 and is designed for those who manage museum and cultural institution facilities.

The survey is endorsed by IAMFA, the International Association of Museum Facility Administrators.

Short PDF with overview of cultural facility program

Who are the Participants?

All progressive museums and cultural institutions across the globe are welcome to participate in this benchmarking program. Over 130 institutions from nine countries have participated since the group started.

The following leading organizations have participated for most of the program’s 20 years:

The J. Paul Getty Museum
The National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Victoria
The National Museums of Canada (multiple museums)
The Smithsonian Institution (multiple museums)

We never had the opportunity to meet, I was the Director of Property Management, Security & Client Services at the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation and the Canadian War Museum. I have been retired for ten years now and I am so pleased to see that the Annual Benchmarking Survey is still an active part IAMFA’s order of business. (more…)

I wish you all the best and a long life to this practice.
Pierre Lepage, Canadian Museum of Civilization

There is no doubt that participating in the benchmarking survey provides an excellent means of comparing business operations with similar organizations and learning where improvements can be made.
Dean Marshall, National Gallery of Australia

What worked well? Everything!
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Just completing the questionnaire provided suggestions on ways to improve our operation.
Carnegie Museums

What Is Included in the Cultural Institution
Facility Benchmarking Program?

An example graph of energy use intensity is shown. Each participating institution is shown with a vertical bar. The various color shadings represent the quartiles and the horizontal black line is the median for the group.

The cultural institution facility benchmarking report compares a range of facility metrics – data categories include:

Operating costs (all types)
Energy use (all types)
Sustainability metrics
Staffing
Asset condition (FCI)
Practices & Technology
and more.

See example report

Schedule

One part of the benchmarking program is about the data: getting started, entry, compile, and reporting.

Another part of the program includes meetings to network, shared practices, provide feedback and discussion results.

See Program Schedule

Cultural Facility Benchmarking Options

Cultural Facility Benchmarking Program

Our traditional benchmarking program for organizations with cultural facilities. Our traditional IAMFA Benchmarking program has been ongoing since 2001. Participants have typically included cultural facilities with more than 50,000 gross square…
Cultural Facility Benchmarking – Small Institution Program

We understand that some cultural institutions have limited staff (and data) but can still benefit from facility benchmarking to improve how they manage their facilities. This DIY program is for small…
Facility Metrics Services

Whether you want some guidance for your team, or a done-for-you solution, you can have all your facility-related data in a single place for all your facility management and planning…
Cultural Facility Benchmarking Program – D4U

For organizations that want Facility Issues to work hands-on with you/your team to prepare your data and provide enhanced support as an extension of your staff. The “Done-4-U” program includes all…
Cultural Institutions – Annual Workshop

Benchmarking Participants can begin the annual IAMFA conference by the attending the Benchmarking Practices and Learning Workshop immediately prior to the regular meeting Sunday, September 10, 2023, 9:00 a.m. to…
Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Benchmarking

EUI Benchmarking for Cultural Institutions Facility Issues provides free Energy Use Intensity benchmarking for any cultural institution that wishes to participate. This is an easy and anonymous program for cultural facilities…

Not Ready to Benchmark, Have Questions, or Just Want to Stay Informed?

Receive our occasional updates (between monthly and quarterly in frequency) and special topic surveys.

Please tell us your level of interest so we can send you only the information you want – you can unsubscribe anytime.

Program Sponsors

If you are interested in being a cultural facility benchmarking program sponsor in 2023, this is being coordinated with IAMFA sponsorship. Please contact randallomurphy@gmail.com for more information

Do Your Facility Metrics Meet Your Needs?

(By “metrics” we mean the full range of data, KPIs, scorecards, and reporting on your properties and their operation.)

Facility Issues can help you get started with provide one-time services, benchmarking, or ongoing assistance with your facility analytics. But first, take this self-assessment of your situation and objectives to clarify what you need and want.

FACILITY METRICS SELF ASSESSMENT