The Museums Association (MA) has launched its new Effective Collections scheme.

The initiative consists of four parts: the Main Fund, which consists of £10,000 per project for museums to review their collections and make better use of them; the Special Project Fund of up to £25,000 per project for museums engaged in innovative projects; the Find an Object database, which will allow museums to post adverts offering objects for loan or permanent transfer, or to register an interest in borrowing or buying objects; and finally, Culture Change, which will look at ways of changing museums' attitudes towards the use of their collections.

Sally Cross, the MA's collections coordinator, said: "The museum collections of the UK are a huge public resource that should be available for everyone and the full phase of the Effective Collections scheme will aim to develop the culture and the processes for museums to share those resources better.

"We are extremely pleased with the level of interest in the scheme and are looking forward to working with museums across the sector to help find ways of getting the most out of their collections."

The deadline for applications for the first funding round will be 7 September, with successful applications announced and the MA's Annual Conference and Exhibition in October.