THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION
Registered charity 313024 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION · also registered in Scotland as SC041856 (OSCR)
To advance education in, and to foster and encourage the preservation and better understanding of the material heritage of mankind and the environment for the public benefit by the promotion and development of museums and galleries and encouraging the involvementof the public. To establish and advance professional standards of those employed in museums and galleries.
Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a negative movement in unrestricted funds of £279k before pension actuarial adjustments, driven by a 7% drop in unrestricted income to £1.925m against a 3% rise in expenditure to £1.939m. Despite this deficit, the trustees and auditors confirm the charity has adequate resources to continue as a going concern, with unrestricted reserves of £499k exceeding the stated policy target of £440k.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Largest income source: membership
“Our key areas of unrestricted income are: membership £1,016k (2024: £959k), publications £159k (2024: £194k) and events £390k (2024: £343k).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: three months turnover (held: £499k)
“The board agreed that, in line with Charity Commission guidelines, the MA will at least hold free reserves equivalent to three months turnover. In 2024/25 this equated to £440,000.” — page 8
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Moore Kingston Smith LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
Funders the charity credits
Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).
- Esmée Fairbairn Foundation — “We gratefully receive funding support for our work from the following organisations: Esmée Fairbairn Foundation We have longstanding relatio…” (source page)
- Julia Rausing Trust — “Julia Rausing Trust The Julia Rausing Trust supports the Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund , our programme of grant-making, networking an…” (source page)
- UK Research and Innovation — “We partnered with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) , the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and creative design agency The Liminal…” (source page)
- Arts and Humanities Research Council — “We partnered with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) , the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and creative design agency The Liminal…” (source page)
Company officers (Companies House)
Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.
- CROWDY, Hannah May — director, appointed 01/04/2026on trustee list
- MCKIRDY, Ross Oliver — director, appointed 01/04/2025on trustee list
- JARDINE PATERSON, Kinvara Margaret — director, appointed 27/01/2025not on trustee list
- YOUNG, Gerogina — director, appointed 01/04/2024not on trustee list
- DABASIA, Hasina — director, appointed 01/04/2024on trustee list
- DUGDALE, Janet — director, appointed 01/04/2024on trustee list
- STEINER, Katherine — director, appointed 01/04/2024not on trustee list
- SULEMAN, Mohammed Akhtar — director, appointed 01/08/2023on trustee list
- HEATON, Tony James — director, appointed 13/10/2022on trustee list
- MCLEAN, Christine — director, appointed 28/04/2022on trustee list
- ROGERS, Rachael Christine — director, appointed 15/10/2021on trustee list
- MILLER, Steven Richard — director, appointed 01/04/2019on trustee list
- MACKAY, Neil Patrick — secretary, appointed 19/10/2018
Official officers record.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Reported reserves equal ~2.2 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (74% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (15/05/2015) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Christine McLean
- Georgina Young
- Hannah Crowdy
- Hasina Dabasia
- Janet Dugdale
- Kate Steiner
- Kinvara Margaret Jardine Patterson
- Mohammed Akhtar Suleman
- Rachael Rogers
- Ross Mckirdy
- Steven Miller
- Tony Heaton · trustee of 1 other charity
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a negative movement in unrestricted funds of £279k before pension actuarial adjustments, driven by a 7% drop in unrestricted income to £1.925m against a 3% rise in expenditure to £1.939m. Despite this deficit, the trustees and auditors confirm the charity has adequate resources to continue as a going concern, with unrestricted reserves of £499k exceeding the stated policy target of £440k. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Moore Kingston Smith LLP.
Who funds THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION as a grant recipient include THE JULIA RAUSING TRUST, THE MASTER CHARITABLE TRUST, JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM LIMITED.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.