Association of Independent Museums

Registered charity 1082215 · since 2000aim-museums.co.uk·Ireland, Isle of Man, United Kingdom·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£721k

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2025

From the Charity Commission register

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.

Key takeaways

AIM funds collections care, conservation, collections access and workforce training, but only for its own members: both the training grants and Museum Fundamentals exclude organisations that are not AIM members, so check membership before anything else.
Its stated sizes are up to £350 per organisation a year for training grants, up to £20,000 for Museum Fundamentals and £1,200 for the Collections Care Audit, and no typical grant band is given, so a modest, specific request is the safest guide.
AIM takes requests by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited applications, so talk to AIM while you develop a project; it says it will check eligibility and help strengthen the application.
Museum Fundamentals starts with an expression of interest, and only a smaller group goes on to a full application, while training applications are due by the end of each calendar month and retrospective applications are not funded.
Museum Fundamentals is closed to museums with 50,000 or more visitors a year, to organisations that are not UK registered charities, exempt charities or recognised public bodies, and to museums that do not own the collections at the centre of the project.

Overview

Association of Independent Museums is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1082215).

The Association of Independent Museums connects, supports and represents independent museums in the UK, and exists to advance educational and cultural facilities for the public benefit through independent museums, galleries and heritage organisations. It has approximately 1200 organisational and individual members. According to the Charity Commission register, it gave £721,039 in grants, although its own annual report gives different grant totals. Museum Fundamentals supports collections and back of house work in small and medium museums.

What they fund

Priority Areas

AIM makes grants to help its members develop and grow their organisations and underpin key areas of activity. Its schemes support collections care, remedial conservation, access to collections and workforce skills and expertise, including training for paid staff and volunteers. The schemes are for AIM member museums; eligibility is programme-specific. Museum Fundamentals and collections-care audits are aimed at small and medium-sized museums, with fewer than 50,000 visitors a year. Museum Fundamentals applicants must own the collections at the centre of their project. The training scheme gives priority to smaller museums receiving fewer than 20,000 visitors annually. For some schemes, eligible organisations must be UK registered charities, exempt charitable organisations or recognised public bodies. AIM encourages applicants to discuss projects while developing them and offers help to strengthen applications.

Themes

Collections care
Conservation
Museum workforce training
Collections access

Geographic Focus

United Kingdom; Republic of Ireland; Channel Islands; Isle of Man.

What they don't fund

AIM Training Grants only:
- Conference tickets/expenses – (Please see our separate AIM Conference Bursary)
- Individual continual professional development where there is no organisational benefit
- Retrospective applications for funding for training that has taken place or that has been booked prior to the training grant being applied for/awarded
- Organisations that are not AIM member organisations
Museum Fundamentals only:
- Organisations that are not AIM members
- Organisations that are not a UK registered charity, an organisation with exempt charitable status, or a recognised public body (e.g. a Local Authority Museum)
- Museums that are not small or medium museums
- Museums with 50,000 or more visitors per annum
- Museums that do not own the collections that are the focus of the project

How to apply

For Museum Fundamentals, applicants first submit an expression of interest; the panel selects a smaller group to proceed to stage two, completing a full project plan and application.

Deadlines: Training grant applications are due by the end of each calendar month.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Smaller museums receiving fewer than 20,000 visitors a year receive priority.
Applicants are encouraged to talk to AIM while developing a project so it can check eligibility and help strengthen the application.
AIM values applicants showing that it can trust them to deliver their project.
Grant recipients are expected to deliver projects on time, meet reporting and claim deadlines and communicate changes.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Ireland
Isle of Man
United Kingdom

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Association of Independent Museums.

Art FundMixed deadlinesGave £7.7M The Elizabeth Cayzer Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £398k The AIM FoundationInvitation onlyGave £534k The Wolfson FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £37.3M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2021	£992,767	£987,055	£559,337	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£893,648	£983,404	£671,634	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£1,922,618	£1,273,352	£601,302	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£1,132,315	£1,560,766	£683,580	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£1,631,655	£1,592,445	£721,039	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2021

£559k grants

YE 2022

£672k grants

YE 2023

£601k grants

YE 2024

£684k grants

YE 2025

£721k grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.

Grants paid, all years: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.