Association of Independent Museums (AIM), in partnership with the Julia Rausing Trust and the Pilgrim Trust, is accepting applications from small-to-medium-sized museums across the UK for the Museum Fundamentals Grants Programme. Grants of up to £20,000 are available to support AIM member museums with fewer than 50,000 visitors per annum to support core activities, enabling them to care for collections more effectively and efficiently and meet the standards required for Accreditation. This Fund will replace the Collections Care and Remedial Conservation Grant Programmes previously delivered by AIM. Eligible costs include:

• Collections documentation and research.
• Collections review.
• Development of new exhibitions or other access to collections.
• Purchase of new equipment and software.
• Small-scale building work to support collections care.
• Improvements to heating, lighting, and other building services.
• Staff time.
• Volunteer recruitment and expenses.

Applicants are encouraged to develop projects based on their collection needs which improve knowledge, care, and access to heritage collections. There is a two-stage application process. Groups must first submit an expression of interest before being invited to complete a full application. There are two funding rounds in 2025.