Supporting widening participation in the Heritage Sector

Research, evaluation, and storytelling that helped secure future funding.

JAM Group Media was brought in to support a major project focused on widening participation across the heritage sector; a piece of work designed not only to understand who heritage spaces are currently serving, but who they are unintentionally leaving out.

From the outset, the ambition was clear: generate credible insight, evidence impact, and use that learning to unlock future funding and long-term change. Our role was to help turn complex data, lived experience, and project delivery into a clear, compelling story that funders, stakeholders, and communities could understand and trust.

Independent evaluation with purpose

We were initially commissioned as an independent evaluator, tasked with reviewing and assessing a substantial body of project data. This included analysing delivery against objectives, exploring what had worked well, and identifying the conditions that enabled meaningful outcomes.

Rather than producing a purely technical evaluation, we focused on clarity and credibility, creating a detailed, objective report that demonstrated impact while remaining grounded in real experiences. This evaluation became a central piece of evidence, clearly showing how the project delivered against its aims and why it deserved continued investment.

Bringing lived experience into the story

Alongside the evaluation, the project required strong media assets to support a funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. JAM led the end-to-end production of video content that brought the project to life.

We interviewed participants on camera, capturing personal stories that reflected both the challenges of exclusion and the value of inclusive practice. These interviews were filmed, edited, and produced into high-quality video content, which was then embedded directly into the final report. This added a vital human layer to the data; allowing funders to see and hear the impact first-hand.

The combination of robust evaluation and authentic storytelling proved powerful.

A successful funding outcome and an ongoing partnership

The submission was successful, securing crucial additional funding to allow the project to continue and expand its work. Following this outcome, JAM was retained as a long-term media and communications partner, supporting the next phase of delivery.

Our ongoing work included developing social media campaigns to extend reach and engagement, producing further video content to document progress, and enhancing the project’s website to act as a central hub for resources, insight, and updates.

Research that breaks down barriers

As the project evolved, our role expanded further into research and publication. JAM wrote, edited, and produced three in-depth research papers exploring inclusion and access across different sectors, all under the shared theme of breaking down barriers.

These papers examined lived experiences of exclusion, organisational commitments to openness and inclusivity, and comparative approaches from sectors such as policing alongside heritage. Together, they provided practical case studies and evidence-based insight, helping demonstrate how structural barriers can be challenged and dismantled in meaningful ways.

The impact

By combining rigorous evaluation, thoughtful research, and human-centred storytelling, JAM helped the project move from delivery to sustainability. The work not only supported a successful funding application, but also created a strong foundation for long-term learning, visibility, and impact, ensuring that inclusion was not treated as a one-off initiative, but as an ongoing commitment grounded in evidence and experience.

This project is a clear example of how strategic communications, research, and media can work together to drive change, not just by telling a story, but by proving why it matters.