This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator. This document is also available as Markdown.

Annual Report and Accounts 31 December 2024

Charity Registration No. 1082215 Company Registration No. 1350939

Reference & Administrative Information	3
Trustees’ Report and Chair’s review of the year	5
2024 in Numbers	15
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities	22
Independent Auditors’ Report	28
Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA)	33
Balance Sheet	35
Statement of Cash Flow	36
Notes to the Accounts	37

Reference and Administrative Information

The Trustees present their Annual Report & Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024, in accordance with the Companies Act 2006. The Accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in Note 1 of the Accounts and comply with the Charity’s governing document, applicable law, and the Statement of Recommended Practice, ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’, 2019. The Charity qualifies as a small entity under section 383 of the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013 and a Strategic Report is therefore not required.

Trustees / Directors: Company Incorporated: Christine Bernath 1 February 1978 Sajida Carr Charity Registration: Mhairi Cross 30 August 2000 Sarah Duthie Laura Crossley Charity Registration Number: Philip Dolling 1082215 Rhiannon Goddard (Deputy Chair and Chair from 1st January 2025) Nathaniel Hepburn MBE Company Registration Number: Emily Frankish 1350939 Andrew Lovett OBE (Chair to 31st December 2024) Charlotte Morgan VAT Registration Number: Elizabeth Power 355372196 Alexander Ratcliffe Camilla Stewart Registered and Contact Office: AIM Office Director (Executive): c/o National Waterways Museum Lisa Ollerhead South Pier Road Ellesmere Port Cheshire Hon. President: CH65 4FW Sir Neil Cossons OBE United Kingdom

Hon. Vice Presidents: Sam P Mullins OBE Michael Day CVO Matthew Tanner MBE

Cover image: National Army Museum, a leading authority on the British Army and its impact on society past and present.

Reference and Administrative Information

Independent Auditors: Crowe UK LLP Chartered Accountants Black Country House Rounds Green Road Oldbury West Midlands B69 2DG United Kingdom

Principal Bankers: Barclays Bank plc (Barclays Corporate) Chesterfield Derbyshire S40 1LS United Kingdom

Aldermore Bank plc 1st Floor, Block B Western House Lynch Wood Peterborough PE2 6FZ United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0) 333 305 8060

Email: aimadmin@aim-museums.co.uk

Website: aim-museums.co.uk Social Media: @Aimuseums

Trustees, Report and chair's review

Chair’s Review of the Year

It is an honour to step into my role as Chair of AIM—a position I am deeply grateful to hold.

My appointment followed AIM’s first open recruitment process, reflecting our commitment to transparency and leading by example. As the first woman to serve as Chair, I am mindful of the significance of this moment, and I would like to extend my thanks to Andrew for his support during this transition. In this role, I am eager to champion the values that make AIM and its members so vital: resilience, collaboration, and innovation. We hope that these values shine through all our work, as you read this Annual Report.

2024 was a year of both challenge and progress. Despite facing headwinds—including an unfortunate injury to our Director, Lisa, which tested our capacity early in the year —we remained steadfast in advancing our strategy, strengthening our internal processes, and embedding sustainability across the organisation. I am proud of how our board, team and members navigated any difficulties with determination, even as we drew on reserves to sustain our work.

For our members, this year has, once again, been tough. We have witnessed difficult closures and museums under threat. Every loss—particularly of small, independent museums—marks the end of many years of passion, community dedication, and a drive to preserve shared heritage. AIM is committed to fighting to secure a sustainable future for those able to continue their vital work, as well as supporting museums to close with dignity if that time unfortunately comes.

Financially, we have worked hard to keep costs low across 2024 while expanding our support and were happy to be able to freeze our membership rates for 2025. We also drew in new support for our work in 2025 thanks to funding from the Julia Rausing Trust - a vote of confidence in the extraordinary potential of independent museums across the UK.

As you will see in our figures, we distributed over three quarters of a million pounds in grants in 2024, sustaining a number of activities and initiatives, not least critical collections work, and will continue to prioritise fundraising in 2025 to further amplify our impact.

Highlights like our conference at BCLM reminded me of the power of gathering in person—a dynamic exchange of ideas we look forward to continuing at the Mary Rose in the summer.

Advocacy remains central to our mission, and with the new government in Westminster, we see both opportunity and uncertainty ahead. The upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review will be pivotal, and we are committed to strengthening partnerships across heritage, libraries, and civil society to advocate for structural change—showcasing how independents can lead on relevance, commercial resilience, and innovative operating models.

Finally, I extend my sincere thanks to the AIM Board for their unwavering support, to our Deputy Co-Chairs Alex Ratcliffe and Nathaniel Hepburn, and to our funders—including NLHF, Arts Council England, the Welsh Government, Julia Rausing Trust and the Pilgrim Trust—for their generosity.

My deepest gratitude goes to the tireless AIM team and, above all, to our members. Your belief in the Association fuels our purpose, and we will continue working to ensure your investment delivers meaningful and valuable returns.

Rhiannon Goddard Chair

Introducing AIM

AIM’s membership

The strength and significance of AIM lies in our membership – the diversity, scale, and reach of the museums and heritage organizations we support and bring together. Our appeal to funders stems from our role as a conduit for them to support our member museums across the UK, and through these institutions, the audiences and communities they engage with and serve culturally. As a result, our priorities are shaped by our members, grounded in a deep understanding of their needs, challenges, and aspirations.

Today, over half of all museums in the UK are independent. Independent museums are longstanding, successful social enterprises, run in a business-like way. They play a valuable role in their communities, contributing to a sense of place and making up an important part of the tourism economy. As their representative body AIM is now widely recognised as a major heritage organisation, with a membership of 1,100, including 951 institutional museum and heritage organisations of all sizes.

AIM membership is predominantly made up of small museums with fewer than 20,000 visitors annually. However, the diversity and scale of membership is remarkable, and includes some of the largest and most visited museums in the UK, many of which hold Designated collections. AIM remains committed to fostering friendship and a sense of community among independent museums, their volunteers, leaders, and trustees. We provide professional guidance, share best practices, and create an encouraging environment where innovation and experimentation can thrive.

The below table is a snapshot of our membership at the start of the year, with numbers holding steady despite the challenging economic environment.

==> picture [459 x 206] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Membership category Jan 2025
Small Museum 740
Medium Museum 133
Large Museum 39
Largest Museum 39
Individual / MDO / Freelancer 76
Non-Prof Supp Org/Library/Arch 23
Associate Supplier 50
Grand Total 1100
----- End of picture text -----

AIM’s role and purpose

AIM’s role in the sector can be summed up as: Helping Heritage Organisations Prosper . AIM delivers public benefit through promoting a more relevant, effective, and successful museums and heritage sector, well-governed and well-led. AIM occupies a unique position in the sector given our focus on independents and small museums – including non-Accredited museums - which otherwise receive limited public support. These are the museums found on high streets and in town centres across the nation: they preserve, celebrate, and showcase the histories of local communities; they support and engage with the people of today; and they educate and inspire generations for the future.

For many of AIM’s members, their primary connection to the museums and heritage sector is through their membership with AIM. It is where they access best practice, engage in sector debate, and receive public support, framed around our Hallmarks of Prospering Museums framework. AIM’s unique ability to connect with small museums while also representing self-sufficient larger museums that thrive as successful attractions is what makes us a vital partner for decision-makers and funders across the public and philanthropic sectors of all four nations.

In carrying out our mission, we reflect on our roots. AIM was established in 1976 and formally constituted in 1977 to represent the interests of a rapidly growing independent museums sector. During the 1970s and 1980s, a wave of new, thematic museums emerged, fuelled by the passion of individuals and communities captivated by the history on their own doorstep. Determined to preserve and celebrate this heritage, they took matters into their own hands, leading to an extraordinary flourishing of a new kind of museum – the Independents. As we often remind our members, this movement was famously described by Sir Arthur Drew of the Standing Commission for Museums & Galleries as “the primordial slime of the museum world.”

Now in 2025 our members especially value AIM’s grant making, networking opportunities, and advocacy. This has shaped the strategy that we are working under to 2028, which has as its three main pillars: partnerships, community, and voice. Supporting these pillars, and through a foundation of improved organisational effectiveness and towards a strategic goal of growing our membership, we are working to bring together increasing resources to help our members thrive.

Public investment

Arts Council England is an important partner and much-appreciated funder for AIM. We joined the National Portfolio in 2018 and remained in the current 2023-2027 portfolio as an Investment Principles Support Organisation. In spring 2025 ACE announced they had asked Government to extend the Portfolio for another year, to March 2028, potentially providing another year of certainty for AIM core funding.

In 2024/2025 AIM received £305,520, this is around three-fifths of our unrestricted income (compared to around a fifth from membership income) and AIM is therefore reliant on this funding to operate with our current scale and member/museum-facing activity. The extension year is helpful to AIM as an extra year of confirmed funding and confidence, especially as we work on establishing our fundraising function; demonstrating that ACE funding our core costs enables us to leverage more philanthropic funding into the small and medium museums and independent museums that receive no or limited public funding.

Our ongoing strong relationship with the Welsh Government supports provision of AIM activity in Wales, including two major leadership programmes, Network for Resilience Wales and Emerging Leaders for Wales which have now both been running for several years. In 2024 we ran a second round of Re:Collections funded through the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan.

We continue to work with Museums Galleries Scotland on advocacy and museum support, attending the March 2024 symposium as a sector support partner to share our work with attendees.

Throughout 2024 we continued two flagship grant programmes, the third round of New Stories, New Audiences (NSNA) from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the second round of Connected Communities from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport via Arts Council England through the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund. Both programmes enabled us to test and refine our grant making plus capacity-building model originally developed for NSNA, providing the professional development and network-building which should benefit the recipients and the sector beyond the end of the programmes in 2025.

AIM’s Charitable Objects

Helping Heritage Organisations Prosper summarises AIM’s legal charitable objectives, which appear in the Articles of Association revised in 2020 as:

(a) The objects for which the Company is established are the advancement of the educational and cultural facilities for the public benefit throughout the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man provided by independent museums, galleries, and heritage organisations. In respect of this the Company defines independence as taking responsibility for your own decisions, being accountable for them, and for not being subject to another’s authority, nor dependent on another for your existence.

(b) In furtherance of the above objects but not further or otherwise the Company shall achieve these objects through advocacy, representing Members’ best interests, sharing, and promoting best practice, innovation, and acumen, creating networks and connections, raising and distributing grants, developing policy, supporting skills and workforce development, promotion, and by providing support and advice for all museums and heritage organisations.

==> picture [215 x 20] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Alex Walker, Chair of trustees at Elizabeth Gaskell's House
nN
----- End of picture text -----

Making every pound count: Delivering public benefit in 2024

Focusing on value for money

Our 2024 Membership survey highlighted the increasing importance of value for money to members providing a framework for AIM’s ongoing strategising and decision-making. We are acutely aware that every pound in every museum’s budget is being stretched further than ever, while also holding immense value to the members of the public who, in most cases for our member museums, are the very source of these funds.

Similarly, our core funding from ACE is ultimately from a public purse with ever-increasing demands on it. It is our job to make sure the investment museums and heritage organisations make through their AIM membership, and that the public and Lottery players in turn make via AIM, are clear, worthwhile, and deliver a real return.

Our value – and our public benefit – is realised by supporting museums to deliver their public benefits. Independent museums are the majority of and the backbone of the museums sector; for much of the public their nearest museum is a small independent. AIM’s function is to help them thrive: to run operations that are well-governed and well-led, know how to operate effectively and with relevance, and care for their collections.

Delivering our strategy

In our 2023 Annual Report and the accompanying Director’s speech on day two of the Conference, we shared with our membership the strategy guiding our work in the years ahead, leading up to and beyond AIM’s 50th anniversary in 2027. This year, we have continued to refine and strengthen the language and foundations of this strategy, ensuring it remains clear, focused, and impactful. The focus for our member-facing activities continues to be on Partnerships, Community, and Voice.

==> picture [528 x 333] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
AIM flourishes when we shape, support
and show off independent museums’ flourishing
Governance Operating effectively Equity, diversity
Audiences Climate
and leadership as charitable businesses and inclusion
To connect members
To advocate effectively
To generate income
Fundraising
Operating effectively
People (Board and team) as a charitable business Data-driven activity
Voice
Community
Partnerships
----- End of picture text -----

Partnerships

Partnerships are essential to how AIM operates, maximising and enabling us to do more than our small team of seven could do alone. The museums and heritage sectors have a complicated support landscape and AIM works best by focusing on doing what we do to a high standard, and signposting to and working with other organisations where appropriate.

Our key partnerships with policymakers, public funders, and development agencies are outlined above. AIM’s function for these partners is to support governance and leadership in the sector and to ensure support is available to small museums, independents, and non-Accredited museums.

Our most important partners are our funders. Working together with funders allows us to maximise our support to meet their goals, often around supporting smaller museums. As well as our funding from the Arts Council we continued to partner with the Welsh Government, Pilgrim Trust, DCMS, Arts Scholars, and National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver services, grants, and capacity-building programmes to our members and the wider sector. Two grant schemes came to an end in 2024, Arts Scholars Brighter Day and Welsh Government Re:Collections. Two more, NLHF New Stories, New Audiences and DCMS/Know Your Neighbourhood Connected Communities, are coming to an end in 2025. We remain extremely grateful to these funders and what they have enabled us to offer to museums.

Towards the end of the year we were delighted to be invited to apply to a new funder, the Julia Rausing Trust, and to be awarded a new, three-year, £600,000 programme which, combined with our ongoing Pilgrim Trust funding, has enabled us to offer a new scheme in 2025: Museum Fundamentals.

In 2025 we will seek funding partners to increase and improve the services we can provide as well as being able to make grants for bigger projects. We are also keen to continue experimenting with grant making and making our processes simpler, easier to manage, and more effective at funding the kinds of activity we hope to support in our members. In 2024 we explored legacy further through Connected Communities, aiming to reduce the ‘cliff edge’ wellbeing-focused community projects often experience at the end of funding. We also introduced a presentation stage for Pilgrim Trust funding, allowing museums who may be less experienced at writing bids to explain their projects to our grant panel directly. Through developing Museum Fundamentals, we have been working on having one customer-facing process for bigger projects, while behind the scenes two funders are joining their resources to help members to do the crucial basics of collections care.

As 2024 was a Westminster election year it was even more important that AIM worked with other sector organisations on advocacy. We are part of a regular meeting convened by the Museums Association to ensure joined-up messaging on advocacy across the sector, making us more effective and compelling to decision-makers. AIM worked particularly closely with the National Museum Directors’ Council, Art Fund, and English Civic Museums Network.

More widely we work with Museums Development, the Heritage Alliance, and the other Arts Council Investment Principles Support Organisations, both for museums and across arts and culture, to support our sectors in the round.

In 2024 AIM took over Safe Access from Cornwall Museums Partnership which closed in spring. An NLHF project from the Heritage Innovation Fund, Safe Access explores how freelancers from marginalised communities can be supported when working with sensitive collections and topics. At the end of the year, we were successful in securing phase three of this project, which will extend the findings to culture change in organisations in a two-year, £250,000 programme.

Community

Community and networks are high priority areas for members, especially with the sector continuing to face challenges from many directions: AIM members are increasingly looking to one another for mutual support as well as ideas, shared successes, and good practice. We continue to develop opportunities for the sector to come together and for members to be helped by people who truly understand their concerns and problems.

In 2024 the Annual National Conference returned to the Black Country Living Museum, marking the final conference for BCLM’s Director as AIM Chair. Over 270 members, speakers, suppliers, and colleagues spent two fantastic, sold-out days in the Black Country. Despite uncharacteristically poor weather delegates enjoyed a fun evening at the museum as well as two packed days of programming. This year a welcome event the night before the formal start of Conference, instead of a closing event, was well-received. Whilst the streaming version of the conference was less well attended, it highlighted the value AIM members find in being together in person.

We continued to run Hallmarks at Home, Trustees 101, both online and in person around the UK, and our leadership programmes Spark!, Resilient Leaders for Wales and Emerging Leaders Wales, as well as peer support programmes as part of our grant programmes. Residentials enabled programme participants to learn and develop as well as spend more relaxed time together, building the relationships that can support them throughout their careers. AIM continues to explore other ways we can support community-building.

Voice

Advocacy is a top three priority for AIM members, and we are continuing to commit significant time to it at Board and staff level. Independent museums have particular strengths and needs, and we are determined that these will be heard alongside other voices across the sector.

2024 was a vital year for advocacy. Alongside sector partners, our work with the new Government and permanent officials helped result in commitments to museums funding, including infrastructure funding, at the new Government’s first Budget in October 2024. We are continuing to work with sector colleagues for the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review which will set budgets for the coming years.

It is clear from ministerial comments that the creative industries will be a key focus of energy in Government, including as a priority sector in the Industrial Strategy. We have co-commissioned research with the Art Fund and National Museum Directors’ Council articulating and quantifying the role of museums in the creative industries.

To support advocacy, in 2024 we updated and refreshed the economic impact toolkit first published around 2010. This toolkit enables museums to demonstrate their own local economic impact, which is always persuasive to decision-makers hoping to make their local places thrive, and we also commissioned an economically robust analysis of the impact of independent museums as a group. For the first time the toolkit also now has an easy-to-use spreadsheet for museums to use for their own calculations and we encourage all members to collect the data required, work out their own impact, and make sure funders, MPs and councillors, and prospective partners know about it.

==> picture [175 x 10] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
The AIM team at Black Country Living Museum
----- End of picture text -----

We started another research project this year, on land management and ownership, utilising Arts Council England IPSO funding and co-funded by the Welsh Government and National Museum Directors’ Council and put out an Invitation to Tender for a project on operating models and trusts co-funded by DCMS and the Arts Council.

We continue to showcase members’ successes across our communications. Towards the end of the year, after a long process of testing, design and development funded by strategic investment from surplus reserves, we launched a new refreshed AIM website bringing this popular resource up to date with a new look and feel. We’re delighted that the site has gone down well with members and retains the customary AIM friendliness and approachability, whilst markedly improving accessibility.

How we operate

As part of our strategy, we have continued to work on AIM’s systems, structures, and processes. The new database has enabled a better grip on our membership numbers and income and freed up communications capacity – we are grateful to our members for making the transition with us.

AIM works with many excellent consultants whom we send to help our members and in the first half of the year we took our own advice and engaged Judy Niner for a fundraising review. With her expert help we have developed a fundraising strategy and plan. This work was funded by investment from reserves as we see it a major strategic priority for AIM’s future.

We have also been looking at our staffing. We carried out a salary review in 2024 to make sure the team is paid fairly. We carried out a small restructure that saw a member of staff promoted and a new post created that will free up capacity for the senior team in 2025 and beyond to be able to create and secure funding for more services for members.

Challenging our resilience

In-year capacity issues, with staff members absent for medical and personal reasons, made it clear we need to look carefully at resilience and cross training as well as continuing to improve our planning and prioritisation processes, and managing budgets around realistic activity levels. We look forward to travelling to more members and more events in 2025.

Modelling good practice on governance

After nearly nine years on the Board including six as Chair, Andrew Lovett came to the end of his final term and stepped down at the end of 2024. AIM is deeply grateful for Andrew’s tireless work for the organisation and members over the years, including during Covid after which he was made OBE in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the sector. Historically AIM’s Chair has been appointed from within the Board and has been the Director of a large independent museum whose organisation provided considerable in-kind support to AIM’s operations.

==> picture [87 x 35] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Highland Folk Museum /
----- End of picture text -----

However, our guidance to museums supports open competition for Board members and Chairs – so this year, for the first time, this is what we did. As our major funder, and in line with the IPSO Relationship Framework, ACE was present throughout each stage of the competition. Deputy Chair Rhiannon Goddard was appointed from a good pool, the first woman Chair in AIM’s history, and brings stability to the Board as we move into our focus on fundraising and growth.

A new trustee was sought to bring finance expertise, with Angela Spreadbury co-opted at the end of the year ahead of standing for election at AGM in 2025. The Board is currently fourteen people strong, out of a maximum of fifteen, with a range of perspectives and skills leading AIM at this important moment of growth and celebration.

Our impact

Our small AIM team – Lisa, Margaret, Christine, Fiona, Matt, Catrin and Helen – is very proud of what we achieved in 2024. We are motivated that behind every statistic is a museum and its audience that has been helped to do things a little bit (or sometimes a lot) better or more easily than they would have been able to without our help. We are glad to have been able to make that difference for members.

==> picture [112 x 10] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Black Country Living Museum
----- End of picture text -----

Vital Grants 122 751,856 231 D Awarded Distributed Applications In 2024 AIM awarded grants worth over three quarters of a million pounds, an uplift of 2.8% on the previous year. The team processed 231 applications leading to 122 member organisations benefitting from an AIM grant. D Legacy Uplift Grant D Re:Collections Grants (Wales only)

In 2024 we were delighted to offer an uplift grant of up to £5k to previously funded New Stories New Audiences projects, enabling them to further build on the legacy of their work.

Funded from the Welsh Government Anti-Racist Wales Culture, Heritage, and Sport Fund to support museums to deliver the Culture, Heritage and Sport goals and actions from the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan (ARWAP) and Programme for Government, the Re:Collection programme delivered bespoke consultancy, mentoring, workshops, grants and opportunities to share experience and learning.

the Re:Collection programme delivered bespoke 8 £32,899 20 consultancy, mentoring, workshops, grants and @o Ff opportunities to share experience and learning. “It’s been a fantastic experience and its great to get feedback from the museum and visitors 3 £37,800 4 about how they have learned about the transatlantic slave trade.” 2@o ¢F AIM Training Grants In 2024 we awarded 46 Training Grants to support our member organisations. Wolverhampton Art Gallery ~~ae~~ 46 £14,365 51 ~~ —Z-. eo ~~2~~ . Connected Communities Pilgrim Trust Conservation Grants Funded by the Department for Culture, Media ~~ye~~ and Sport Know Your Neighbourhood Fund In partnership with the Pilgrim Trust through three through Arts Council England (ACE), AIM’s grant streams – Collections Care Audit, Collections Connected Communities scheme offers support Care and Remedial Conservation – much needed to projects seeking to improve community funding for basic collections care worth £118,720 connections through volunteering, reducing was distributed to 39 member museums. loneliness and increasing social bonds. 37 £118,720 87 7 £329,721 11 ®©6® 4 @6 Ff AIM Arts Scholars Brighter Day Grants New Stories New Audiences

==> picture [258 x 85] intentionally omitted <==

In the third and final round of the New Stories New Audiences grant, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, £189,580 was awarded to 15 member museums.

The AIM Arts Scholars Brighter Day grants were developed to help museums with decorative and fine art collections recover from the ongoing effects of the pandemic. In 2024, 6 grant awards were made totalling £28,500.

==> picture [515 x 38] intentionally omitted <==

Engaging Programmes

Re:Collections

18 people attended the cohort shared learning session in Cardiff

18 participants

“the enthusiasm, gusto and positive energy that the children exuded made the project work. Their questions, remarks and concerns drove me to believe that Judges Lodgings Lancaster they had learned from the project”

s New Stories New Audiences » Spark!

17 people attended the cohort residential.

All projects received up to 3 days mentoring

“To see probation officers be inspired again and reinvigorated with the work that they are doing…It’s really inspired them to think differently about why they do what they do.”

Now in its third year, our development and support programme for museum leaders remains a highly popular scheme and is creating an invaluable network of support across the UK’s independent sector.

Spark 3 – October 2023–January 2024 – 13 people

Spark 4 (trustees) – January-March 2024 – 12 people

Spark 5 – April-June 2024 – 11 people

Spark 6 Oct 2024 – January 2025 – 14 people

AIM Higher Consultancies

“It's a great way to learn how to embrace change and also to make new contacts and friends within the sector so you feel less isolated and can share expertise and support.”

D

22 member organisations benefited from AIM Higher consultancies, bespoke support of up to two days on a range of issues and challenges facing heritage organisations and their board of trustees.

“Our consultant was so professional and it really helped to have someone external come in to our organisation and support us in a difficult period.”

Welsh Government

funded programme March 2023-March 2024

4 AIM Higher Consultancies

AIM Aspire

12 people took part in this new individual mentoring scheme. Each participant had four mentoring sessions.

“The programme offers a perfect blend of practical guidance and personal development…helping us not just achieve our goals but also identify new opportunities. Her mentorship has had a lasting impact on my confidence and strategic approach to museum work.”

Inspiring Events

Delegates

From Small Museums

First Time Attendees

DO Conference

AIM’s flagship event sold out for the first time, and was held in the wonderful Black Country Living Museum in June.

“...I'm reminded of the magic that happens when we get together to share, learn from eacho other and collaborate, and the importance of leaving space for learning, thinking, imagining and dreaming...”

Hallmarks at Home

In 2024 our popular online events programme included sessions covering employment law, tax reliefs, research, collections management and more.

148 attendees | 7 sessions

Support for Welsh Museums

Generously supported by Welsh Government, AIM ran a number of support sessions in 2024 specifically for Welsh museums.

Trustee Support

Rising Leaders

Aimed at new leaders, applications were open to staff of Museums, Archives or Libraries working in Wales.

15 participants supported

Welsh Trustee Induction 12 people attended 2 sessions

Network for Resilience Wales

Funded by the Welsh Government, the Network for Resilience in Wales enables participants to attend a two-day residential, full day workshops and fortnightly lunch time catch ups.

10 people participated

Trustees 101

Sessions for those seeking new trustees or looking to find out more about becoming a trustee were run online, in Manchester and London.

Working with Boards 10 people attended 2 sessions

76 attendees | 4 sessions

Trustee Induction

These paid for sessions are ideal for new trustees starting their board work at member museums.

16 people | 2 sessions

6900

Effective Communications

4800

enews subscribers

32,000

followers on socials

web users per month

AIM Website Refresh

The team put the finishing touches to a revamped AIM website in December, modernising this popular resource to better serve member needs. The updated site is designed to make accessing our advice and guidance simpler and more intuitive, all while maintaining the friendly, approachable style you’ve come to expect from AIM. With a fresh look and improved functionality, we’re excited to offer an enhanced online experience.

Highlighting the Economic Power of Independent Museums

The latest Economic Impact of the Independent Museum Sector Report underscoring the vital role independent museums play in boosting the UK economy was released in 2024. To complement the findings, an Economic Impact Toolkit helps independent museums to measure their local and regional economic impact, strengthening their advocacy efforts and showcasing their value to communities.

Sharing Members Expertise

AIM continues to develop its range of Case Studies sharing the compelling experiences and expertise of AIM members. In addition to regular features online, via e-news and AIM Bulletin, AIM website now hosts short films and podcasts highlighting members’ work.

Economic Impact of the Independent Museum Sector 2024

The results included here estimate the overall (gross) economic contribution of independent museums to the (local) economies in which they are located. The extent to which such economic contributions are net additional is best considered at the local level using the 2024 AIM Economic Impact Toolkit.

Supporting Local Jobs ([a] UK Wide more than 7,200 jobs (4700 FTE) 4

70% in the local area

The Value of Volunteers

38,900 regular volunteers Almost 518,000 volunteer days valued at over £41 million

Attracting visits

more than 19.5 million visitors

10.6 million 8.9 from million further local

Visitor spending

over £279 million spent off-site

equates to around 3,800 FTE jobs

estimated total spend £497 million

Sector spend

Independent museum sector spent £131.4 million on goods and services, which equates to 2,900 FTE jobs

Gross direct economic contribution

11,300 FTE jobs £531.8 million of expenditure

49.5% spent in the local area

Overall gross direct, indirect, and induced economic contribution

17,900 jobs £838.7 million of expenditure

Coming into a game changing year

Challenges for AIM

We begin 2025 with a strong Board, with two members on leave during 2024 coming back, and the new Chair supported by two new Co-Deputy Chairs. These changes offer the opportunity to test what we are doing against good practice and further strengthen how the Board works. In 2025, with our new finance trustee supporting, we will revamp the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee to make sure we have effective scrutiny.

This Board forms a solid base for our 2025 priority of developing our fundraising, looking ahead to growing the membership with a solid offer in 2026.

We are also carefully considering investment from surplus reserves and long-term planning and risk appetite. We believe we have a compelling offer to philanthropic funders because our members and their audiences are deserving of support and hope to offer more over the coming years to these communities.

Our fundraising work is in the context of the financial challenges faced by our whole sector. In the last few years our cost base has increased as the cost of living crisis has bitten; conscious of the struggles faced by our members we have tried wherever possible not to pass this on to our members, having kept any rises low and frozen membership fees in 2021 and again for 2025. Much of our offer remains free to access ( cheap or ‘pay what you can’ where possible). AIM Conference 2024 introduced a new host sponsor status through which the host venue kindly subsidises venue use thus keeping the ticket fee as low as possible, as we know learning budgets have been hard hit across the sector in recent years. We are considering what else we can do differently without members losing out or having to pay, while also respecting the consultancy expertise through which we deliver many of our activities.

Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmoreons

A note on charitable reporting

As a charity, the Trustees recognise their legal duty to report on the Association’s public benefit in their Annual Report, as part of a requirement – given particular emphasis by the Charities Act 2011 – to clearly demonstrate that the Objects of the charity are for the public benefit, demonstrating the Trustees’ recognition that being a registered charity is a privilege, not a right. In setting out in this Annual Report how the charity currently meets this requirement and plans to in the future, the Trustees assert that the charity is compliant with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, having due regard for the public guidance published by the Charity Commission.

The Trustees acknowledge and accept that there exists a kind of covenant between charities and society: charities bring public benefit and, in their turn, are accorded high levels of trust and confidence, as well as the benefits of charitable status. AIM continues to welcome an explicit reporting of public benefit and how it is aligned with the Objects of the Charity and believes that this will help maintain and grow public trust in the activities of the charitable sector, not least the charitable activities of the Association of Independent Museums. Part of AIM’s focus on supporting and improving governance in independent museums and heritage is to ensure that our members and the wider cultural sector also understand and are committed to delivering public benefit and transparently demonstrating this.

==> picture [111 x 15] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Elizabeth Gaskell House study pe
----- End of picture text -----

MUSEUM OFFICES Statement of Trustees, Responsibilities

Governing Document

The Association of Independent Museums (AIM) is a company limited by guarantee, without share capital and governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 1 February 1978, as amended by resolution at the AGM on 14 June 2012. None of the model articles in the Companies (Model Articles) Regulations 2008 applies to the company. The company was registered as a charity on 30 August 2000. The Objects of the Charity are set out in this report. Throughout this Annual report the company is referred to as ‘the Charity, Association or AIM’.

A review of AIM’s Memorandum and Articles of Association was initiated by Trustees in 2019 as part of ongoing governance good practice, with proposed changes reported and approved at the EGM on 10 December 2020.

Trustees / Directors

The trustees of AIM for the purposes of charity law are also its directors for the purposes of company law, and throughout this report are collectively referred to as ‘the Trustees’. Those Trustees who served on what is now called the Board (previously the Council) during the period of this review were:

Trustee	First Appointed
Sajida Carr	21 June 2021
Mhairi Cross	19 April 2018
Sarah Duthie	21 June 2021
Rhiannon Goddard	19 April 2018
Nathaniel Hepburn	6 May 2021
Emily Frankish (nee Hope)	6 May 2021
Andrew Lovett OBE	23 June 2016 (until 31 December 2024)
Charlotte Morgan	16 June 2022
Elizabeth (Liz) Power	16 June 2022
Camilla Stewart	16 June 2022
Philip Dolling	15 June 2023
Alexander Ratcliffe	15 June 2023
Christine Bernath	15 June 2023
Laura Crossley	15 June 2023

Recruitment, Appointment and Onboarding of Trustees

Trustees are recruited from across the culture sector, with a focus on experience with different parts of the independent museum sector and skills aligned to AIM’s goals. All trustees are appointed based on their experience, skills, and empathy with AIM’s vision. Vacancies are advertised on the AIM website and in the AIM Bulletin, social media channels and e-news to ensure a wide coverage across the UK.

The Trustees of the Association are supplied with induction information on joining and further guidance and training notes as required. Trustees are kept up to date with reports, briefings, social media channels and sector newsletters about relevant issues, best practice and developments affecting the museums and cultural sectors, as well as changes to charity and/or company regulation. The Board self-reflects on its effectiveness as the Association’s governing body through regular meetings, including dedicated annual awaydays.

The Trustees are aware of the Charity Governance Code and new Charity Act 2022 and discuss implications both for their own work as in AIM’s role as an exemplar of governance for the museums sector.

The Board works to ensure compliance with its legal duties to:

(i) Act in the interests of the charity and its beneficiaries.

(ii) Protect and safeguard the assets of the charity.

(iii) Act with reasonable care and skill.

(iv) Ensure the charity is accountable.

In addition, the Board recognises the need for and takes steps to:

(i) Deal with conflicts of interest.

(ii) Implement appropriate financial controls.

(iii) Manage risk.

(iv) Take appropriate advice when it needs to.

Governance Structure

The Trustees met five times during 2024, as the Board (non-executive) of the Association of Independent Museums, to consider strategic matters, monitor financial progress and performance against forecasts, consider policy and other significant developments and to monitor organisational risks. Three meetings including an awayday were held in person and two online.

The Charity held its AGM on 15 June 2024 as part of the National Conference in Dudley. Members of the Board are drawn from, and elected by, the membership at General Meetings, serving a maximum of three terms of three years. The Board thereafter elects from their number (at its discretion) the Officers, including a Chair and Vice Chair(s). In 2024 one Board member stepped down, the Chair, as planned. Two Board members were absent for most or all of the year on agreed leave.

In 2024 the Board had minimal standing sub-committees to govern the organisation. There were a number of grant-awarding committees or panels. The Finance, Audit and Risk Committee established in late 2023 had a difficult start following the executive capacity issues set out above and met four times.

AIM’s Director (the organisation’s most senior member of staff) manages and develops AIM with his/ her staff and is accountable and reports to the Board. Together with the Trustees, the Director, Head of Communications, and Head of Programmes are considered the Key Management Personnel, as defined by Financial Reporting Standard 102. The Director is not a member of the Board but attends at the invitation of the Board.

Reserves Policy

The reserves policy is reviewed annually by the Board. In early 2025 the Trustees agreed that AIM should hold a general, free cash reserve of at least six months of payroll and operating costs, which amounts to around £220,000. At 31 December 2024 the level of unrestricted funds was in excess of this at £242,505. The Board will keep this level under active review.

Environmental Impact update

As part of our ACE funding AIM continues to work to an environmental responsibility policy and action plan, overseen by Julie’s Bicycle, a specialist environmental organisation appointed by Arts Council England to support their National Portfolio Organisations.

Remuneration Policy, Employment and Casual Contracts

Board members do not receive any remuneration. Expenses incurred as part of the role e.g. to attend in-person Board meetings can be paid.

The pay and remuneration of key management personnel are set by the Director (for senior staff), with Board approval through the annual budgeting process, and the Board (for the Director). In 2024 the Board agreed a one-off revision of the salary structure of the team, further to an across-the-board cost of living increase from January 2024. A working group delegated from the Board also agreed the Director’s pay for 2024 and 2025.

AIM does not currently offer casual employment. AIM contracts with a number of freelancers for both programme support, to add capacity to the full-time staff, and to deliver our support – particularly providing specialist expertise in a range of charity, operational, governance and museum fields for our grant support, training and development, and consultancies.

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

Trustee Indemnity

Professional liability insurance of £1m is in place.

Risk Management and Uncertainties

Trustees regularly review the principal risks facing AIM, including as part of monitoring for Arts Council public funding. In 2024 this responsibility moved to the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, which reviews the risk register in the first instance and reports to the Board.

In spring 2024 the Board agreed an introduction of a new risk register and to more active monitoring of risks and reviewing of mitigation plans and control measures. This includes the Board seeing actively changing risk levels with the historic record for that risk and what mitigations have been introduced or are planned where risks have increased. The Board is now also monitoring a smaller number of active AIM-specific risks which are being actively managed, rather than spending time on generic organisational risks.

Two significant risks from 2023 continued, the loss of ACE funding and the risk to grant funding being available as several programmes end. Over the course of the year the Chair recruitment and transition was another major risk, now reducing as the new Chair is in place with a smooth handover being affected. The key risk that emerged as higher impact and likelihood by the end of the year was meeting targets for fundraising income for supporting member offer.

Investment Policy

The Association, when able to do so, takes advantage of short/medium-term cash flow surpluses by placing funds with regulated financial institutions approved by the Board. It is not the policy of the Association to delegate investment management to an agent of the Charity. In making any investment decisions, including those related to permanent endowment, the Board has due regard to Charity Commission guidance, investment of Charitable Funds: Basic Principles, the Charities Act 2011, and the Trustee Act 2000.

Fundraising Policy

The charity has no fundraising activities requiring disclosure under Section 162A of the Charities Act 2011.

Financial Review

The financial activities of the Association for the year under review and the financial position at the Balance Sheet date are set out in the Accounts. The Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) is set out at page 34 and includes both unrestricted and restricted funds. The Board is satisfied with the financial position of the Association.

Unrestricted funds come chiefly from subscription fees from the membership. There is also unrestricted income from advertising in the AIM Bulletin and from the trade show and sponsorship at the annual AIM Conference, as well as sponsorship of other events and programmes. The annual grant from Arts Council England is also unrestricted.

Restricted funds have been provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Scholars Charitable Trust, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (via Arts Council England), the Pilgrim

Trust, and the Welsh Government. The Net Worth on 31st December 2024 stands at £643,974 (2023: £1,072,425). Restricted Funds stand at £401,469 (2023: £782,505) and Unrestricted Funds at £242,505 (2023: £289,900).

The Trustees (who are also Directors of the Association of Independent Museums for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP.
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Disclosure of Information to Auditor

Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees' Report is approved has confirmed that:

so far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware, and
that Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee in order to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company's auditors are aware of that information.

On behalf of the Trustees

Rhiannon Goddard Dated: 27 May 2025

Chair

Independent Auditor's Report

Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Association Of Independent Museums

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Association of Independent Museums ‘the charitable company’) for the year ended 31 December 2024 which comprise Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance sheet, the Statement of Cashflows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2024 and of its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other

The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material

Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Association Of Independent Museums

misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit

the information given in the trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under the Companies Act 2006 and report in accordance with the Acts and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Association Of Independent Museums

Details of the extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations are set out below.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We identified and assessed the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements from irregularities, whether due to fraud or error, and discussed these between our audit team members. We then designed and performed audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks within which the charitable company operates, focusing on those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The laws and regulations we considered in this context were the Companies Act together with the Charities SORP (FRS102) 2019. We assessed the required compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items.

In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which might be fundamental to the charitable company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty. We also considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the charitable company for fraud. The laws and regulations we considered in this context for the UK operations were General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Employment legislation.

Auditing standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

We identified the greatest risk of material impact on the financial statements from irregularities, including fraud, to be within the recognition of grant income and the override of controls by management. Our audit procedures to respond to these risks included enquiries of management, and the board about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities, sample testing on the posting of journals, reviewing accounting estimates for biases, reviewing regulatory correspondence with the Charity Commission, and reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Association Of Independent Museums

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Helen Blundell LLB FCA FCIE DchA Senior Statutory Auditor

For and on behalf of Crowe U.K. LLP Statutory Auditor

Black Country House, Rounds Green Road, Oldbury, West Midlands, B69 2DG

28 May 2025

Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 December 2024

Income from:
Charitable activities
Investments
Other income
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
Total expenditure
Net gains / (losses) on investments
Net income / (expenditure)
Transfer between funds
Net movement of funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Notes
2
3
4
5
15
15
15

Unrestricted
funds
2024
£
494,848
3,569
8,861
507,278
554,673
554,673
-
(47,395)
-
(47,395)
289,900
242,505
Restricted
funds
2024
£
625,037
-
-
625,037
1,006,093
1,006,093
-
(381,056)
-
(381,056)
782,525
401,469
Total Funds
2024
£
1,119,885
3,569
8,861
1,132,315
1,560,766
1,560,766
-
(428,451)
-
(428,451)
1,072,425
643,975
Total Funds
2023
£
1,912,394
2,678
7,546
1,922,618
1,273,352
1,273,352
-
649,266
-
649,266
423,159
1,072,425

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024

		2024	2023
	Notes	£	£
Current Assets
Cash at Bank and in Hand	10	550,345	584,742
Debtors	11	248,062	565,727
		798,407	1,150,469
Creditors
Amounts falling due with one year	12	(154,432)	(78,044)
Net Current Assets		643,975	1,072,425
Total Assets Less Current Liabilities		643,975	1,072,425
Funds
Restricted funds	15	401,469	782,525
Unrestricted funds	15	242,505	289,900
Total Funds		643,975	1,072,425

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies act 2006 relating small companies.

These accounts were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 22 May 2025 and signed on their behalf by:

Rhiannon Goddard Chair

The notes on pages 38 form part of these financial statements.

Cashflow Statement for the year ended 31 December 2024

Cash fows from operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities
Cash fows from investing activities
Dividends, interests, and rents from investments
Net cash fow from investing activities
Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year
Cash and cash equivalents consists of:
Cash in hand and at bank
Total cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 2024

2024
£
(37,967)
3,569
3,569
(34,398)
584,742
550,345
2024
£
550,345
550,345
2023
£
180,750
2,678
2,678
183,428
401,314
584,742
2023
£
584,742
584,742

Reconciliation of net income/(expenditure) to net cash fow from operating activities

Net income/(expenditure) for year (as per Statement of Financial Activities) Adjustments for: Dividends, interests, and rents from investments (Increase)/decrease in debtors (Decrease)/increase in creditors Net cash fow from operating activities	2024 £ (428,451) (3,569) 317,665 76,388 (37,967) 2023 £ 649,266 (2,678) (406,975) (58,863) 180,750

Notes to the Accounts

Association of Independent Museums

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

1) Accounting Policies

General Information

The Association of Independent Museums is a company limited by guarantee (registered number 1350939), which is registered and incorporated in England and Wales. The Association is also registered with the Charity Commission under registration number 1082215. The registered office is AIM office, National Waterways Museum, South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 4FW. The principal place of business is AIM office, National Waterways Museum, South Pier Road Ellesmere Port, CH65 4FW.

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) – Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Association of Independent Museums meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy

Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Association and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Association for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes of the financial statements.

Income

All income is recognised once the Association has an entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably. Income in respect of members’ subscriptions, publications, seminars, and events are recognised in the period to which it relates.

Grants are included in the Statement of financial activities on a receivable basis. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the Balance Sheet. Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued.

Donations are credited to the Statement of Financial Activities when received.

Association of Independent Museums

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

All expenditure is accounted for on an accrual basis. All expenses including support costs and governance costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure headings.

Support costs are those costs directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity. Governance costs are those costs incurred in connection with the administration of the charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Expenditure on assets of over £500 or associated groups of assets over £700 will be capitalised.

Grants payable are charged in the year when the offer is made except in those cases where the offer is conditional, such grants being recognised as expenditure when the conditions attaching are fulfilled. Grants offered subject to conditions that have not been met at the year-end are noted as commitment, but not accrued as expenditure.

Financial instruments

The Association only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Liabilities and provisions

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Association anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation.

Association of Independent Museums Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

2) Income from charitable activities

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total 2023
	funds	funds	2024	funds	funds
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Grants	309,685	623,696	933,381	315,101	1,387,039	1,702,140
Membership	109,545	-	109,545	121,230	-	121,230
Members support	75,618	1,341	76,959	89,024	-	89,024
	494,848	625,037	1,119,885	525,355	1,387,039	1,912,394
3) Investment income
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	funds	funds	2024	funds	funds	2023
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Interest	3,569	-	3,569	2,678	-	2,678
	3,569	-	3,569	2,678	-	2,678
4) Other incoming resources
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total 2023
	funds	funds	2024	funds	funds	£
	£	£	£	£	£
Energy Commission	3,673	-	3,673	3,351	-	3,351
Publishers licensing revenue	5,188	-	5,188	4,195	-	4,195
	8,861	-	8,861	7,546	-	7,546

Association of Independent Museums Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

5) Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Grants distributed Members Support Grants distributed Members Support	Support costs £ - 87,542 Direct costs £ 683,580 789,644 2024 Total £ 683,580 877,186 Direct costs £ 601,302 581,198 Support costs £ - 90,853 2023 Total £ 601,302 672,051
	87,542 1,473,224 1,560,766 1,182,500 90,853 1,273,353
	Restricted funds £ 676,733 329,360 Unrestricted funds £ 6,847 547,826 Total 2024 £ 683,580 877,186 Unrestricted funds £ 9,378 502,127 Restricted funds £ 591,924 169,923 Total 2023 £ 601,302 672,050
	1,006,093 554,673 1,560,766 511,505 761,847 1,273,352

6) Analysis of expenditure by activities

Members support Workshop and events Memberships and subscriptions Research, publications for members AIM National Conference Website AIM Bulletin editorial and production Consultancy and freelance Others Staff costs Professional fees	2024 Total £ 47,112 56,883 53,865 39,846 550 4,497 274,095 10,118 302,116 562 2023 Total £ 24,343 10,280 32,725 48,368 - 26,051 154,397 - 278,680 6,354
	789,644 581,198

Association of Independent Museums

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

7) Auditor’s remuneration

7) Auditor’s remuneration
Auditors’ remuneration Audit	2024 £ 9,600 2023 £ 8,000
	9,600 8,000

8) Staff costs

Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel

Salaries and wages Social security costs Employer’s contribution to defned contribution pension schemes Staff Training and development	2024 £ 268,175 23,221 10,720 727 2023 £ 247,695 20,395 9,840 1,581
	302,843 279,511

Staff numbers

The average number of employees (headcount based on the number of staff employed) during the year was as follows:

2024	2023
No.	No.
7	7

Staff

The number of employees who received total employee benefits of more than £60,000, is as follows:

		2024	2023
		No.	No.
£60,000	- £69,999	0	1
£70,000	- £79,999	1	0

The total employment benefits, including employer pension contributions, of the key management personnel was £184,147 (2023: £172,517).

9) Trustees’ remuneration and expenses

During the year no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2023; £nil)

During the year ended expenses totalling £4,488. (2023; £5,051) were reimbursed or paid directly to 9 (2023:12) Trustees. The expenses reimbursed were in relation to travel and subsistence costs.

The Charity pays an insurance premium to indemnify trustees from any loss arising from the neglect or defaults of directors and officers, the policy covers the trustees up to £1,000,000

Association of Independent Museums

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

10) Cash and cash equivalents

10) Cash and cash equivalents
Cash in hand	2024 £ 550,345 2023 £ 584,742
	550,345 584,742

11) Debtors Trade Debtors Other taxation and social security Prepayments and accrued income	2024 £ 20,488 1,054 226,520 2023 £ 60,271 - 505,456
	248,062 565,727

12) Creditors: Falling due within one year Trade creditors Other creditors Other taxation and social security Accruals and deferred income	2024 £ 96,610 1,928 - 55,894 2023 £ 29,049 1,501 7,462 40,032
	154,432 78,044

13) Deferred income

Deferred income relates to membership fees. The movement during the year is as follows:

Balance at the beginning of the year Amount released to income in the year Amount deferred in the year Balance at the end of the year	2024 £ 26,364 (26,364) 33,662 2023 £ 46,805 (46,805) 26,364
	33,662 26,364

14) Taxation

The company, as a registered charity, is not liable for Income Tax or Corporation Tax because its income falls within the various exemptions available to registered charities.

Association of Independent Museums

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

Restricted Funds Pilgrim Trust grants and workshops Welsh Gov't projects & grants National Lottery Heritage Fund AIM & Arts Scholars Charitable Trust Brighter Day DCMS ACE Know Your Neighbourhood Safe Access Total restricted funds Unrestricted funds General funds Total unrestricted funds Total Funds 15) Statement of funds	At 1 January 2024 £ 72,788 25,837 15,129 5,034 663,737 - Income £ 117,602 157,586 252,475 30,000 - 67,374 Expenditure £ (138,539) (137,085) (268,751) (35,034) (353,962) (72,721) Transfers £ - - - - - - At 31 December 2024 £ 51,851 46,338 (1,147) - 309,775 (5,347)
	782,525 625,037 (1,006,092) - 401,469
	289,900 507,278 (554,673) - 242,505
	289,900 507,278 (554,673) - 242,505

	1,072,425 1,132,315 (1,560,766) - 643,974

Restricted purpose funding

AIM & Arts Scholars Charitable Trust Brighter Day: Grants to support small museums with collections relevant to the work of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars to improve their resilience through caring for collections and upskilling staff.

Pilgrim Trust Grants and Workshops: Support to small and medium sized museums in looking after and conserving their collections, through grants and workshops. Funded by the Pilgrim Trust.

Welsh Government Projects and Grants: 1) Continuing funding enabling AIM to support museums in Wales with governance through the AIM Higher programme, translating resources into Welsh, and support for museums leaders through the Network for Resilience in Wales and a new Rising Leaders programme and 2) Re:Collections funded by the Anti-racist Wales Culture, Heritage and Sport Fund to support small museums in Wales with inclusivity projects.

National Lottery Heritage Fund New Stories New Audiences: Grants to support small museums to increase and widen their audiences to enhance their sustainability, and to widen participation to groups that are currently under-represented. Funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.

DCMS ACE Know your Neighbourhood: Connected Communities is funded by UK Government Know Your Neighbourhood Fund through Arts Council England and supports museums in specified areas in England to carry out projects improving social capital through high-quality volunteering opportunities and projects tackling the risk of loneliness.

Safe Access: funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund Heritage Innovation Programme, this project was taken on from a closing organisation during 2024 and is creating ways for museums to support freelancers and others from minoritised backgrounds dealing with sensitive or difficult collections and topics.

AIM notes the deficits in two of the restricted funds at 31st December 2024 which is due to timings of expenditure and claims with funders who use the April-March financial year. AIM manages restricted funds to spend what is available under each fund, with improvements to grant financial management underway in 2025.

Association of Independent Museums

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

Prior Year Restricted Funds Biffa Award - History Makers Pilgrim Trust grants and workshops Welsh Gov't projects & grants National Lottery Heritage Fund Arts Scholars Charitable Trust Brighter Day ACE Know Your Neighbourhood Total restricted funds Unrestricted funds General funds Total unrestricted funds Total Funds At 1 January 2023 £ - 126,801 22,084 623 (2,785) - 146,723 276,436 276,436 423,159 Income £ 2,890 75,314 133,488 195,345 30,000 950,001 1,387,038 535,580 535,580 1,922,618 16) Analysis of net assets between funds Fund balances at31 December 2024are represented by: Current assets Creditors due with one year Prior Year Fund balances at31 December 2023are represented by: Current assets Creditors due with one year	At 1 January 2023 £ - 126,801 22,084 623 (2,785) - Income £ 2,890 75,314 133,488 195,345 30,000 950,001	Expenditure £ - (129,327) (129,735) (180,839) (35,681) (286,264) Transfers £ (2,890) - - - 13,500 - At 31 December 2023 £ - 72,788 25,837 15,129 5,034 663,737
	146,723 1,387,038	(761,846) 10,610 782,525
	276,436 535,580	(511,506) (10,610) 289,900
	276,436 535,580	(511,506) (10,610) 289,900

	423,159 1,922,618	(1,273,352) - 1,072,425
		Restricted funds £ 475,919 (74,450) Unrestricted funds £ 322,487 (79,982) Funds Total £ 798,407 (154,432)
		401,469 242,505 643,975
		Restricted funds £ 845,692 (63,167) Unrestricted funds £ 304,777 (14,877) Funds Total £ 1,150,469 (78,044)
		782,525 289,900 1,072,425

17) Pension commitments

The Association operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the Association in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the Association to the fund and amounted to £10,720 (2023 - £9,840). Contributions totalling £0 (2023 - £1,501) were payable to the fund at the balance sheet date.

18) Related party transactions

During the year, Charlotte Morgan, a Trustee of The Association of Independent Museums, was paid £448.80 for consultancy work undertaken as part of the Safe Access project in Cornwall. This was paid as a single invoice to Black Rabbit Consultancy, of which she is sole proprietor.

The Association of Independent Museums held their annual conference in June 2024 at the Black Country Living Museum, and 2 invoices totaling £18,300.43 were paid in respect of catering and venue hire for the 2-day event. Andrew Lovett, Chair of the AIM Board, is Chief Executive Officer of the Black Country Living Museum.

There were no related party transactions in the prior period.

ryi Grants Awarded

In 2024 AIM received 231 grant applications and awarded 122 grants worth a total of £751,856.39.

Pilgrim Trust = 37 grants awarded, 87 applications = £118,720.50 Brighter Day = 6 grants awarded, 22 applications = £28,500.00 New Stories New Audiences R3 = 15 grants awarded, 36 applications = £189,580 NSNA Uplift Grants R3.5 = 8 grants awarded, 20 applications = £32,899.00 Connected Communities = 7 grants were awarded, 11 applied = £329,721.80 AIM Training Grants = 46 grants inc.15 conference bursaries, 51 applications = £14,635.09 awarded and £13,097.98 claimed.

Wales ReCollections = 3 grants were awarded, 4 applications = £37,800.00

Pilgrim Trust Collections Care and Conservation Grants

In 2024 we supported small and medium museums in partnership with the Pilgrim Trust through three grant streams – Collections Care Audit, Collections Care and Remedial Conservation. We received 87 grant applications and awarded 37 grants totaling £118,720.50.

Pilgrim Trust Collection Care Audit 14 grants awarded = £16,800.00 Pilgrim Trust Collection Care 12 grants awarded = £54,910.50 Pilgrim Trust Remedial Conservation 11 grants awarded = £47,010.00

==> picture [530 x 442] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Pilgrim Trust Audit Grants Awarded Spring 2024
Ref. Organisation Purpose/Project Award
129 78 Derngate The Hospital of William Browne is an almshouse in Stamford, Lincolnshire. £1,200
Northampton The building opened to the public in 1984. There is a small amount of historic
Trust material onsite and the honorary curator is seeking advice on how to best to care
for the wall paintings, artefacts, and archives.
130 Kent Founded in 1857, KAS looks after an extensive and significant collection drawn £1,200
Archaeological from digs around Kent. The audit allowed them to gain an understanding of
Society, Maidstone the collection’s care needs regarding the material housed in their stores in
Maidstone, approximately 30-40% of their collection.
137 Woodchurch The volunteers identified museum objects at risk from decay and applied for £1,200
Village Museum an audit to help them plan collections care improvements and future remedial
conservation work.
138 Brickworks, Funding to conduct an audit was awarded to allow the museum to plan for £1,200
Southampton their future accreditation return and support improvements to collections care
practices and policies.
139 Tetbury Police The audit was transformational for the museum and enabled the volunteers to £1,200
Museum, use the report to plan for the object’s collection care needs.
Oxfordshire
141 Saddleworth The museum applied for an audit to allow the volunteers to plan for the £1,200
Museum, Oldham collections care needs of the objects.
142 Lux The organisation applied for an audit to help understand which works were £1,200
suitable for handling/ use and which required additional care and preservation.
TOTAL £8,400
----- End of picture text -----

Pilgrim Trust Audit Grants Awarded Autumn 2024

==> picture [530 x 434] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Ref. Organisation Purpose/Project Award
146 Working Class The WCML sought an audit for their extensive banner collection, 140 pieces, £1,200
Movement which were stored in unsuitable conditions in an attic room. The audit
Library, recommendations will be used to inform long term improvements and solutions
Manchester to their collection care problems.
147 Tenbury Wells The museum is due to move, and the volunteers and trustees view the audit as £1,200
Museum providing an opportunity to receive advice on the conservation needs of the
collection.
149 The Pankhurst The audit will provide the organisation with the evidence and leverage to £1,200
Trust, Manchester advocate for the collection and make improvements to collections care.
150 Yorkshire Air The museum has recently appointed a Collections Officer who has applied for £1,200
Museum an audit to provide a baseline for the collection care needs at the museum. The
recommendations will be used to inform future developments in collection care
training and policies.
151 Peak District The museum collections will be moving circa 2029 and work has begun on £1,200
Mining Museum planning for the move. The museum is looking to focus the audit on displayed
objects, circa 75% of the collection. The report findings will be used to inform the
collection care policies.
152 Blandford Fashion A volunteer led accredited museum with support from a textile expert and a £1,200
Museum, Dorset textile conservator. The audit will be change making for the museum volunteers
and help inform new storage facilities.
153 Museum of The long-term impact of the audit will be greater knowledge about the condition £1,200
Dartmoor Life of the collection and its care needs. The audit will inform a collections review
and conservation plan.
TOTAL £8,400
----- End of picture text -----

Pilgrim Trust Collection Care Grants Awarded Spring 2023 (£28,500)

==> picture [530 x 320] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Ref. Organisation Purpose/Project Award
360 Dorset Museum Safeguarding archaeological metalwork collections at Dorset Museum & Art £4,420.00
& Art Gallery Gallery
361 Timespan Re-fitting the Timespan Storage Facilities £8,310.00
363 The Gurkha Treatment of Gurkha Museum Collections Storage for moth infestation £5,125.00
Museum,
Hampshire
364 Quaker Tapestry Textile collection repack and relocation project following a successful PT funded £4,270.00
Museum, Cumbria audit.
365 Kingston Museum, Refresh! A project to purchase a new entrance way rug and collections care and £600.00
Surrey cleaning supplies.
366 Cumbria’s Back to Basics - Collections Care at CMOML £3,275.00
Museum of
Military Life
369 Coldharbour Mill, Taking Collections Care to the next level! £2,500.00
Devon
TOTAL £28,500.00
----- End of picture text -----

Pilgrim Trust Collection Care Grants Awarded Autumn 2023 (£28,500)

==> picture [530 x 204] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Ref. Organisation Purpose/Project Award
374 Saddleworth Saddleworth Rising - This project focuses on the stored collection and combines £4,900.50
Museum, training of volunteers and equipment purchases to deliver collection care
Manchester improvements.
375 Gainsborough’s Store racking increasing accessibility to collections - installation of roller racking £10,000.00
House to the stores.
377 Portland Museum Fit for the Future – Lofty Goals and Safe Displays £2,700.00
380 Staithes Museum PT Collections Care Audit Awarded £1,200.00
381 Bodmin Keep Collections decant and storage project £7,610.00
TOTAL £26,410.50
----- End of picture text -----

Pilgrim Trust Remedial Conservation Grants Awarded Spring 2024 (£25,000)

==> picture [530 x 167] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Ref. Organisation Purpose/Project Award
420 The Highlanders Conserving 'Incident at Arras', by Faith Kathleen Sage. £6,000.00
Museum
421 Corinium Project Spatha £6,000.00
Museum,
Colchester
436 Robert Burns, The Poet’s Flute: Conservation of Robert Burns’ Flute £4,870.00
Ellisland Farm
TOTAL £16,870.00
----- End of picture text -----

Pilgrim Trust Remedial Conservation Grants Awarded Autumn 2024 (£25,000)
Ref. Organisation Purpose/Project	Award

==> picture [530 x 310] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Ref. Organisation Purpose/Project Award
437 Leominster Conservation of a self-portrait, by John Scarlett Davis £3,400.00
Museum
439 Stromness Conservation and rehousing of the George Ellison Seaweed Collection £1,765.00
Museum
440 Vintage Carriages Conserving and making publicly accessible the Bradshaw map. £3,000.00
Trust
443 Epworth Carriages Restoring the 19th century patchwork coverlet £900.00
Trust
444 The Lustleigh Conservation of two paintings, Kelly Farm and View of Lustleigh Cleave by £1,790.00
Society Frederick Foot (1830-1908)
448 Port Sunlight VT Conservation of the Gladstone Theatre Plaque £7,325.00
449 Farmland Museum Restoring the Martin Family’s Potato Wagon. £5,630.00
450 Museum of Wigan Conservation of archives relating to silk manufacturers Charles Hilton and Son. £6,330.00
Life
TOTAL £30,140.00
----- End of picture text -----

AIM Arts Scholars Brighter Day Grants

==> picture [530 x 528] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Organisation Purpose/Project Award
The Cartoon Museum Comic Creators Unite! A transformative project that involves employing a £7,150.00
former Kickstarter to work with student volunteers to catalogue the collection
and identify material for a new touring exhibition offer. The project would end
with a new exhibition being curated and offered through the Touring Exhibition
Group (TEG) and the potential for future exhibition material identified.
St Ives Museum Reduction of Lux and UV light levels at St Ives Museum - Applied for funding £2,000.00
to help pay for UV film in their exhibition area, where artwork, primarily
watercolours and loan material is displayed.
Blandford Fashion Museum Costume Design Portfolio Preparation Workshops - This project will provide £1,200.00
educational learning opportunities for young people to support their career
development. The findings from the students’ collections research will be made
available on the museums website and learning opportunities rolled out to a
wider audience through workshops and increased interpretation.
The Silk Museum Rediscovering Childhood: Childrenswear in the Silk Museum's Collection £4,500.00
- This project focuses on childrenswear in the collection, some 350 pieces. The
project will audit, photograph, catalogue, repack and exhibit highlights from the
collection. The display of childrenswear will allow a new level of interpretation
aimed at younger family audiences to be introduced to the museum.
The Minories Conservation training and storage solutions for collections sustainability £7,150.00
and engagement - The foundation runs a gallery called 'The Minories' which
houses a collection of artwork from a range of prominent 19th century to
contemporary artists. The application includes costs for professional staff,
training of volunteers, core costs to support staff to work on the storage of the
collection and materials to create new shelving suitable for a listed building.
Museum of Cambridge Restoring Cambridgeshire's Artistic Heritage: 2024 and Beyond - The £6,500.00
museum has 300 paintings which sustained damage over covid while in storage.
Following an audit, the museum has prioritised work on the collection and
funding is to cover additional staff time and storage materials. The staff hours
will be used to manage the project and to build a new volunteer team. The
volunteers will be trained in collection care and support the work to upgrade the
storage of the art collection.
TOTAL £28,500.00
----- End of picture text -----

New Stories New Audiences Round 3 15 NSNA projects were awarded funding, in early 2024, totalling £189,580.00.

==> picture [527 x 26] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Organisation Purpose/Project Award
----- End of picture text -----

Organisation	Purpose/Project	Award

Bath Industrial Heritage Trust	Working with BEMSCA (Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizens Association) on an oral history and research project recording the memories of the West Indian community which frst settled in Bath in the 1950s and their experiences of working life, then and now. The resulting interviews and information will form an exhibition to be held initially at the Museum of Bath at Work.	£6,171.00 (withdrawn, £366 spent)
Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings	To reinterpret the showman’s wagon utilising a new, layered interpretation framework in co-creation with members of the showman community, including descendants of the original owner of the living wagon, Tom Clarke. Transform the purpose-built structure used to house the showman’s wagon into a fairground themed exhibit to house relevant aspects of the stored and, currently, inaccessible collection.	£15,000.00
Brook Rural Museum (The Wye Rural Museum Trust)	The aim of this project is to recruit and train a group of student volunteers to collect, share and preserve audio recordings of local peoples’ memories associated with the experience of hop picking and farming in and around Brook and Wye, Kent. The recordings will provide a personal, local, and emotive insight into the history of hop farming in Kent as well as accessible content for use in exhibitions, research and learning activities, as well as digital engagement. The recordings will be archived with the University of Kent Special Collections and Archives for future use.	£13,843.00
Gordon Russell Design Museum	We want to record oral histories of the workforce and their families who contributed their creativity to the Gordon Russell furniture business and the community of Broadway before they are lost forever. We want to understand how this deeply rural community shifted from agriculture and the centuries’ old inherited creativity, such as hurdle making, wheelmaking, blacksmithing and stone walling, to producing domestic and corporate furnishings that were exported around the world. Working in partnership with the Broadway Museum to unearth wider artefacts, photographs, and interesting experiences.	£9,668.00
Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum	We will co-curate (something we have not done before) with young audiences and families allowing participants to choose the stories they want to tell from objects currently not on display. Working with specialist youth art practitioners and local scouts, Brownies, and schools in the area, we will hold a series of workshops leading to a two-day event celebrating the secret stories objects can tell us. An exhibition of objects picked by young people will go on display.	£14,925.00
Chatteris Museum	Chatteris Museum, in partnership with OneVoice4Travellers and with the participation of the new North Cambridgeshire Training Centre, aims to document the complex histories of the Gypsy and traveller communities who have made the town or its environs their temporary or permanent home in the last century. We will offer physical and digital space in summer/autumn 2024 to display the outcomes of the project and take a pop-up version to other fairs and festivals and local Gypsy sites. The project will be archived permanently at Chatteris Museum, to be used in future exhibitions, and digital outputs will be hosted on its YouTube channel, 1V4T website and offered to Traveller News magazine.	£13,260.00

Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust	The last family to own Delapré Abbey were The Bouveries. They were descended from a Huguenot refugee who arrived in the UK in the 16th century. We will work with Northampton Town of Sanctuary’s community who are refugees and asylum seekers to develop new interpretation to ensure that where we talk about the family being descended from refugees it is done so in a respectful and thoughtful manner. We would also like to capture stories and refections from the asylum seekers to include in the exhibition. We will share this through video with actors as members of the Bouverie family telling the stories to be accessible to blind and partially sighted visitors.	£14,900.00
Marx Memorial Library & Workers School	This project will empower local residents in Islington to discover stories on the rich radical history of Clerkenwell Green through the archives of the Marx Memorial Library, creating new interpretation panels which will transform the visitor experience at the MML and inform our future planning at this critical time in our development. Working with our new partner – the Peel, a local community centre – and through local tenants’ associations, the MML will co- curate three new displays. An exhibition designer will bring these stories and refections together in three panel displays featuring reproductions from MML’s archives, and the voices of our participants.	£13,880.00
Crofton Beam Engines	Crofton for Kids is our ambitious project for telling the story of our pumping station, how it came to be, how it works, and where we are headed, in an accessible way for children as told by children. To help us develop and share our story, we will partner with at least one of our local schools for their input, development, and production of our fnal product. The children will produce mini models of the engines in Lego and create videos about the station, from its history, to how it works to the future of Crofton.	£6,120.00
Hayle Heritage Centre	We will explore and share the untold stories of some of West Cornwall’s remarkable women. This project will create a new body of research, that will inform an outreach programme targeted at new audiences and will be used to create an exhibition held in Hayle Heritage Centre from April 2024 to October 2024. Our outreach will focus on working with audiences who we do not connect with on a regular basis: children aged 6-10 and the under 5s. The material created in the outreach programme will form part of the fnal exhibition and some of the activities will become part of our permanent offer moving forward. Alongside the exhibition, we will run a full programme of activities showcasing the talents of women artists, historians, geologists, and performers working today in West Cornwall.	£11,000.00
Stourbridge Glass Museum	We plan to co-curate an exhibition with students at the University of Birmingham featuring glass artwork made by local children that explores the theme of climate change through the inclusion of artworks from our collection, and artwork made during this project with children. Notable pieces will include Madeleine Hughes "Plastic Beach" and Allister's "Volt Vessels"- which use recycled materials, tell the story of climate change, or use low carbon equipment. These artworks will serve as an introduction to the topic and create a space for refection and discussion.	£14,652.00
Chertsey Museum	This intergenerational project will gather, archive, and tell the community and heritage story of St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, in a way as yet untold. Recording this important personal and social history of St. Peter’s Hospital, from the inception of the NHS (1947) to today will ensure the hospital and its community are acknowledged and remembered as vibrant parts of the community.	£14,953.00

Milton's Cottage	2024 marks the 350th anniversary of Milton’s death. To commemorate, we will work with digital volunteers around the world to share new stories about his legacy and place in the world today. Adopting a citizen science approach, to enable us to explore the widest possible range of perspectives, we will work with new audiences to explore the many ways in which Milton’s writing has been received, translated, and represented around the world.	£12,500.00
Rivington Heritage Trust (Groundwork)	• To work with new partners, It’s Mental and partners, to promote the role of Rivington’s heritage in supporting physical and mental wellbeing and to draw in new family visitors through this partnership. • To develop partnership work with two, nearby, local visitor attractions; United Utilities’ “Rivington Visitor Centre”, Horwich Heritage’s “Heritage Centre”. • To extend outreach work to encourage new visitors, with some limits to their mobility, to visit and understand the heritage of Rivington Terraced Gardens. • To make provision for people with limited mobility to enter and navigate Rivington Terraced Gardens confdently.	£14,112.00
Finlaggan Heritage Trust	Islay has a rich past, which is full of heritage and a future which is unwritten. It is one of the four places in Scotland most exposed to Climate Change. Coastal erosion, invasive species and increased humidity threaten both the integrity of the coast and archaeological sites. In this project we will use heritage and at the same time recruit volunteers to help with the monitoring of heritage and emergent technologies, such as VR and AR to engage with heritage, connecting with new younger audiences. At the same time our heritage is under risk from climate change we will mobilise tools to monitor how our heritage is changing. This will be supported by an Islay citizen science app. And engage both local community and schools.	£14,596.00
	TOTAL	£189,580.00

NSNA R3 Uplift Grants

Eligible organisations that had been awarded a New Stories New Audiences grant, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, were offered the opportunity to apply for £5000 for legacy projects. Eight projects were awarded funding, one withdrew due to a change in capacity to deliver the project.

==> picture [527 x 26] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Organisation Purpose/Project Award
----- End of picture text -----

Organisation	Purpose/Project	Award

Ledbury Places	Ledbury - Education through time	£3,850.00
Judges Lodgings Museum	Facing the Past - To run a series of creative workshops for schools, families and local communities based around Afamefuna portrait.	£4,200.00
Hundred Heroines	To support a cohort of young artists to create a zine focusing on the achievements of early women pioneers in photography.	£4,349.00
Sturminster Newton	Swanskin Seafarers - To develop a keepsake exhibition and oral history archive around the theme of migration with supporting training.	£3,000.00 (withdrawn)
The Mixed Museum	Sussed Black Woman - To undertake a full audio recording of SussedBlackWoman for older and visually impaired users of the archive	£4,000.00
Turners House	Tales & Travels - To run Tales and Travel programme for another year.	£4,050.00

Englesea Brook	To co-create short flms and interpretation boards with local school. Will update current exhibits.	£4,450.00
Finlaggan Trust	Reconnecting with the Lordship Environmental Concerns and Sustainable Development - To extend digital resources beyond Islay to other parts of the Western Isles, Skye etc, extending representation into Iron Age	£5,000.00
	TOTAL	£32,899.00

AIM Training Grants 2024

Our popular training grants offer up to £350 per organisation per annum. In 2024 we awarded 46 grants, including 15 AIM National Conference Bursary places, to support training needs across our member organisations.

==> picture [527 x 25] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Organisation Purpose/Project Award
----- End of picture text -----

Organisation	Purpose/Project	Award

Kyle Station Museum	Training on digital marketing	£350.00
Florence Nightingale Museum	AIM Conference Bursary 1	£200.00
British Glass Foundation/ Stourbridge Glass Museum	First Aid Training	£350.00
Ilfracombe Museum	Southwest MD Collection Care Course Training	£200.00
Amersham Museum	AIM Conference Bursary 2	£200.00
Trowbridge Museum	AIM Conference Bursary 3	£200.00
Buckingham Old Gaol Trust	Archive Storage Training	£250.00
The Stained Glass Museum	AIM Conference Bursary 4	£200.00
Museum of Cannock Chase	AIM Conference Bursary 5	£ -
Middleport Pottery	AIM Conference Bursary 6	£200.00
Scots Dragoon Guards	NAM Conference Expenses	£325.00
Brickworks Museum (Bursledon)	AIM Conference Bursary 7	£200.00
Provan Hall	AIM Conference Bursary 8	£200.00
Selly Manor Museum	AIM Conference Bursary 9 (1 day)	£145.00
London Canal Museum	AIM Conference Bursary 10	£200.00
CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket	Skills & Facilities Audit	£350.00
Tetbury Police Museum and Courtroom	AIM Conference Bursary 11	£200.00
Peoples Museum	AIM Conference Bursary 12	£200.00

The Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum Charitable Trust	NAM Conference Travel Expenses	£150.00
Stourbridge Glass Museum	AIM Conference Bursary 13 (declined in February, desperate to come!)	£200.00
The Holst Victorian House	AIM Conference Bursary 14	£200.00
Offa's Dyke Centre	AIM Conference Bursary 15	£200.00
The Royal Regiment of Scotland Museum	GEM Conference Bristol, 11 -13 September 2024	£350.00
The Apsley Paper Trail/ Frogmore Paper Mill	E-learning NEBOSH (National Examination in Occupational Safety and Health) course for the Head Paper Maker	£350.00
Hampshire Cultural Trust	AIM Conference Expenses	£200.00
Royston Museum	Organisational Training	£350.00
Claymills Pump Engine Trust Ltd	H&S Technical Training - Operating Machinery Safely	£280.00
Museum of North Craven Life	AIM Conference Expenses	£350.00
Firing Line Museum	NCVO Charity Finances Training	£350.00
Peak District Mining Museum	AIM Course 'Setting up a new Museum’ 9th and 16th October	£150.00
The Museum of Gloucester Shipwreck	AIM Course 'Setting up a new Museum’ 9th and 16th October	£150.00
Stanley Spencer Gallery	AIM Course 'Trustee Induction'	£300.00
Quaker Tapestry Museum	AIM Course 'Trustee Induction'	£150.00
Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum Charitable Trust	NAM Firearms Course	£200.00
Art in Healthcare	Handling Course for the 6 team members.	£300.00
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum	AMOT Training Day - Museums in Confict: Relevance, Resilience, Reinterpretation Birmingham	£100.89
The Royal Engineers Museum	Association for Historical & Fine Art Photography Conference (AHFAP) 2024 in Liverpool.	£290.00
Didcot Railway (Great Western Railway Society Ltd)	To provide an experienced carpenter with formal machine training.	£350.00
St Ives Archive	Conservation training	£350.00
The Sussex Yeomanry Trust	AMOT Conference in Birmingham	£250.00
The Gloucester 1682 Trust	Media Training x3 online sessions	£108.00
Broadway Museum & Art Gallery	AIM Course 'Trustee Induction'	£300.00

Blandford Fashion Museum	AIM Course 'Trustee Induction'	£300.00
Historic Croydon Airport Trust	V&A Object Marking Course	£270.00
	TOTAL	£14,635.09

Connected Communities Round 2

The panel met on Tuesday 30 January 2024 to consider the full applications received from 11 organisations who had made it through the earlier expression of interest round. The panel duly considered the projects and awarded 7 organisations with the full funding requested at a total commitment of £329,721.80. The underspend (£42k) and contingency (circa £10k) will be used to create a Project Legacy fund. This fund will be used to enable projects to build a continuation plan to create a match/seed fund for future projects, support staff development, and enable positive transitions from project end to a new way of working.

==> picture [527 x 350] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Organisation Purpose/Project Award
The National Museum Work in partnership with Catcote Academy to support young people with SEND £65,089.00
of the Royal Navy in shaping a new volunteer programme for young people that builds confidence, (withdrawn)
independence, and key life skills
Ushaw Historic House, Volunteering programme for elders based around the collection, volunteer-led £36,653.80
Chapel & Gardens exhibitions, developing collection care skills and networks.
Gawthorpe Textiles Sew Social - 10-month engagement with collections programme, participants £44,265.00
encouraged to respond creatively, culminating in exhibition of pieces.
Durham Museum Creation of 15 new volunteer roles for locals that will include sector-specific £16,000.00
training and delivery of the Community Stories exhibition. (withdrawn)
Museum of Cannock Chase Working with local colleges to develop and provide high-quality volunteering £59,648.00
that teaches young people sector-specific and transferable skills
Sunderland Culture Programme of creative activities for young people with autism, co-created with £53,066.00
participants. Referrals made by local partners involved in care and support of
participants.
Signal Film and Media 189 young people and 196 marginalised adults to engage with Sankey Collection £55,000.00
to develop co-created activities, research, and exhibitions. Sector specific skills
training included. Paid placements for participants. Staffing to support.
TOTAL £329,721.80
----- End of picture text -----

Wales ReCollections

Three organisations were awarded funding. Following completion of the projects, there was a £4,621.09 underspend.

==> picture [527 x 114] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Organisation Purpose/Project Award
Penrhyn Castle NT Penrhyn New Guide – a radical change in culture. £6,811.25
Museum of Cardiff Grange Pavilion Youth Forum – Young Curators £18,136.75
Conwy Culture Beyond Colwyn Bay’s African Institute – responding to African voices £12,852.00
TOTAL £37,800.00
----- End of picture text -----

Charity Registration No. 1082215 Company Registration No. 1350939 aim-museums.co.uk

Cover image: National Army Museum, a leading authority on the British Army and its impact on society past and present.

2024-12-31-accounts

Annual Report and Accounts 31 December 2024

Contents

Reference and Administrative Information

Reference and Administrative Information

Chair’s Review of the Year

Introducing AIM

AIM’s membership

AIM’s role and purpose

Public investment

AIM’s Charitable Objects

Making every pound count: Delivering public benefit in 2024

Focusing on value for money

Delivering our strategy

Partnerships

Community

Voice

How we operate

Challenging our resilience

Modelling good practice on governance

Our impact

Engaging Programmes

Re:Collections

18 participants

s New Stories New Audiences ~~»~~ Spark!

AIM Higher Consultancies

D

Welsh Government

funded programme March 2023-March 2024

AIM Aspire

Inspiring Events

Delegates

First Time Attendees

DO Conference

Hallmarks at Home

Support for Welsh Museums

Trustee Support

Rising Leaders

Network for Resilience Wales

Trustees 101

Trustee Induction

Effective Communications

4800

enews subscribers

32,000

AIM Website Refresh

Highlighting the Economic Power of Independent Museums

Sharing Members Expertise

Economic Impact of the Independent Museum Sector 2024

Supporting Local Jobs ([a] UK Wide more than 7,200 jobs (4700 FTE) 4

70% in the local area

The Value of Volunteers

Attracting visits

Visitor spending

Sector spend

49.5% spent in the local area

Coming into a game changing year

Challenges for AIM

A note on charitable reporting

Governing Document

Trustees / Directors

Recruitment, Appointment and Onboarding of Trustees

Governance Structure

Reserves Policy

Environmental Impact update

Remuneration Policy, Employment and Casual Contracts

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

Trustee Indemnity

Risk Management and Uncertainties

Investment Policy

Fundraising Policy

Financial Review

Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Association Of Independent Museums

Opinion

Basis for opinion

Conclusions relating to going concern

Other

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

Responsibilities of trustees

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

s New Stories New Audiences » Spark!