Directorate department

The Directorate supports the Director and Deputy Director in their achievement of the Museum’s strategic priorities. The Department also has responsibility for the following areas:

• Maintaining relationships with key stakeholders including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
• Managing the business of V&A’s Board of Trustees and senior management committees.
• Corporate planning
• Corporate performance reporting
• UK Strategy including the administration of MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.

Governance

The Victoria and Albert Museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and is a charity exempt from registration under the Charities Act of 1993. It operates at arm's length from the Government and is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Prime Minister. The Directorate manages the business of the Board of Trustees which meets six times a year. It also administers a number of groups within the Museum, including the Museum’s senior management committee, the Management Board.

V&A’s strategic plan

The Directorate manages the V&A’s planning cycle and produces the V&A Strategic Plan on an annual basis. The current strategic planning timeframe is for four years up to 2014/15.

Corporate performance reporting

The Directorate is responsible for compiling a range of performance data including a number of mandatory performance indicators (PIs) set by DCMS. This includes data on visit figures, demographics of the V&A’s audience as well as information on other areas of Museum activity. The Directorate reports its corporate performance data to key stakeholders both internally and externally via an annual performance report.

UK Strategy and Purchase Grant Fund

The Directorate oversees the V&A’s UK Strategy. The Museum provides access to its collections and expertise and advice throughout the UK through developing a network of partnerships and programmes.

The Directorate administers the V&A Purchase Grant Fund which helps museums, libraries and archives to develop their collections through support of funding for acquisitions. The grants budget comes through the Arts Council England (ACE) and is £750,000 for 2012/13.

Contact details

Ilona Klein, Directorate Assistant
Tel: +44(0)20 7942 2165
Email: directorate@vam.ac.uk

The V&A UK Section in the Directorate is the first point of contact for all queries, comments or proposals on the V&A’s UK work:
Tel: +44(0)20 7942 2536
Email:uksection@vam.ac.uk

For information on the V&A Purchase Grant Fund:
Tel: +44(0)20 7942 2536
Email: purchasegrantfund@vam.ac.uk