Collections Care and Conservation Grants

The Collections Care and Conservation Grants programme is funded by the Pilgrim Trust and supports small to medium-sized museums in caring for their historic collections. The programme offers Collections Care Audits conducted by accredited conservators (ACR) to help museums identify key collection care issues through examination of the ten agents of deterioration within display and store environments. These audits provide a professional assessment and recommendations that help museums meet Accreditation standards and develop future conservation projects. The funding enables museums to bring in conservation expertise they could not otherwise afford, embedding new skills into staff and volunteer teams with long-term benefits for collections work. The programme specifically targets AIM members with fewer than 50,000 visitors per year, ensuring that smaller institutions can access professional conservation advice. Audits are undertaken over three days by fully accredited conservators. In 2025, additional funding for collections care and remedial conservation projects (previously available separately for up to £10,000) will be offered through the Museum Fundamentals grant programme. The scheme is run in partnership with ICON (Institute of Conservation) and aims to help museums develop more sustainable approaches to conservation and management of their collections.