Association of Independent Museums: Collections Care and Conservation Grants
Overview
Summary
AIM is grateful to the Pilgrim Trust for funding the grant scheme for a further three years from 2023-2025.
Eligibility: AIM members with fewer than 50,000 visitors a year – small and medium museums.
Grant award: £1,200 for a Collections Care Audit.
In 2025 funding for collections care and remedial conservation projects will be offered through the Museum Fundamentals grant.
Overview
AIM members care for a significant range of historic objects and collections. The funding from the Pilgrim Trust supports small to medium sized museums to care for those collections effectively and efficiently, and to meet the standards required for Accreditation.
Larger museums are encouraged to apply for funding to the Pilgrim Trust directly.
The funding enables museums to bring in conservation expertise to ensure that collections care and conservation meets professional standards, and has the most impact on the organisation, its collections, and their visitors.
Eligibility criteria:
- AIM membership
- UK registered charity or,
- An organisation with exempt charitable status or,
- A recognised public body i.e. Local Authority Museum
- Small or Medium sized museum (fewer than 50,000 visitors p.a.).
Collections Care Audit
These grants, run in partnership with ICON, enable their smaller museum members to undertake a basic professional collections care audit which considers the ten agents of deterioration within the display and store environment. Audits are undertaken by an accredited conservator (ACR) to help museums identify key collection care issues and priorities.
Grants of £1,200 plus travel and VAT (if applicable) are available to cover the cost of a fully accredited conservator undertaking a three day audit. The grants are paid retrospectively.
These grants are a good starting point for smaller museums to understand their collection care needs and to develop future grant applications based on the recommendations of a conservator.