Why does classifying museums by their funding source fail to describe their collections?

Classifying museums by their funding source—such as state, municipal, or private—fails to describe the true character of their collections because there is no direct correlation between how an institution is financed and the nature or scope of the objects it holds.1

For instance, national museums funded by governments may house vastly different types of collections. Some hold outstanding international treasures, such as the British Museum, the Hermitage, and the Louvre. Others may focus on specialized antiquities, while some national institutions, like the Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, maintain a strictly local character.1

Because funding models are often administrative or political in nature, they do not reflect the museum's primary raison d’être: its collection. Experts suggest that analyzing museums based on the nature of their holdings—such as art, history, or science—is a more effective way to categorize them, as it focuses on the actual content and purpose of the institution.1