About MOMSI


The Measurement of Museum Social Impact (MOMSI) addresses the critical need of establishing best practices for measuring social impact within the museum field. It advances museum practice by measuring the social impact museums have on visitors and developing a tool for museums to better understand their social impact on individuals and communities. MOMSI will test the scalabaility of a tool developed in Utah nationwide to provide museums of all sizes the opportunity to measure their own social impact.


MOMSI has come to a close. Thanks to the 38 host museums and all of the study participants who visited those museums and completed the survey, we are pleased to share the final project report. This report presents an overview of the study's methods,  aggregate findings, limitations, and implications for the museum field.


Read the Report

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Frequently Asked Questions



Group of adults and children looking at an interactive table. Three children are leaning over the table and pointing.
Child in front of cultural artifacts taking notes on paper.
Two adults walking close together amidst plants.

Advisory Committee

Elizabeth Bolander, VSA President and Director of Audience Insights and Services at the Cleveland Museum of Art;

John Falk, Ph.D., Executive Director at the Institute for Learning Innovation and renowned museum researcher;

Melanie Hwalek, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of SPEC Associates and an expert in retrospective pre-post survey design;

Megan Lantz, Director of Social Impact at the American Alliance of Museums; and

Eva Witesman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Public Management at Brigham Young University and an expert in strategic planning and evidence-based innovation.

Our 
Team

Admin Team - Utah Division of Arts & Museums

  • Emily Johnson
  • Michelle Mileham, Ph.D.

Research Team - Thanksgiving Point

  • Stephen Ashton, Ph.D.
  • Kari Ross-Nelson

Our Pilot Projects

In 2016, Thanksgiving Point conducted a research project to measure the social impact of their museum complex on their community. Working in partnership with Thanksgiving Point, the Utah Division of Arts and Museum expanded this research to a state-wide study in 2017-2018, measuring the social impact of eight museums across the state of Utah. See the findings from this state-wide study here.