The Friends of the National Railway Museum

Registered charity 273829 · since 1977nrmfriends.org.uk·Shildon, York·Updated 31 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications
Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

  • The Friends fits best where the work concerns the National Railway Museum or railway heritage, such as restoring exhibits in the National Collection, acquiring artefacts, or railway research and education.
  • Its stated priority areas are York and Shildon, so a project based there is a clear match, though no other place is named as excluded.
  • The annual report gives no usable grant figure and no grant range, so there is no basis for a realistic request size; keep any ask proportionate and ask the Friends for guidance on scale before you apply.
  • Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and the Executive Committee considers requests first, with those it supports referred to the Council for approval, so allow for that two-stage route.
  • Requests are described as coming from museum senior management, Friends members, or other organisations, particularly heritage railways that restore or operate National Collection items, so an organisation outside that circle should check the fit carefully before writing.

Overview

The Friends of the National Railway Museum is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 273829).

The Friends of the National Railway Museum exists to encourage, foster, assist and promote the work and activities of the National Railway Museum. It helps fund the museum's restoration of exhibits, acquisitions and other projects, and supports research and educational work on railway history and development. It has supported over 60 museum projects.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Friends support railway museum work and Britain's railway heritage. They help fund the restoration of exhibits in the National Collection, the acquisition of new artefacts and other projects that would otherwise not be possible. They also support and promote research and educational projects relating to railway history and development. Their support helps museum sites conserve and operate railway exhibits, and includes the acquisition, restoration, preservation and exhibition of heritage locomotives and rolling stock. Requests for financial support may come from museum senior management, Friends members or other organisations, particularly heritage railways that restore or operate items from the National Collection.

Themes

  • Exhibit restoration
  • Railway artefact acquisition
  • Railway research and education

Geographic Focus

Priority: York; Shildon.

How to apply

Organisations can request financial support. The Executive Committee considers requests first; those it supports are referred to the Council for approval.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

  • Shildon
  • York

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to The Friends of the National Railway Museum.

Five years of accounts

Financial yearIncomeExpenditureGrants paidAccounts document
year to 31 December 2020£162,093£172,525—Accounts for year to 31 December 2020
year to 31 December 2021£376,484£172,142—Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022£57,632£333,351—Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023£326,758£503,836—Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024£162,852£325,707—Accounts for year to 31 December 2024

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.

Sources

Other sources

This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.

Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.

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