About AIM

Black Country Living Museum
Black Country Living Museum
The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum
Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Royal Navy Submarine Museum

AIM was established in 1977 to address the needs of the growing independent museum sector, providing a network of mutual help and support that would share good practice and create a singular voice for hundreds of organisations.

A registered charity and limited company, AIM is led by a Board of Trustees, with a staff team of seven>> .

Independent Museums

The UK’s independent museums account for more than half of the UK’s museum sector and cover a wide range of subjects. They range from major ‘civic’ museums to numerous medium size museums in county towns (often with Designated collections) and small museums concerned with local and community history.

Independent museums are successful social enterprises run on a business-like basis and play a valuable role in their communities, contributing to a sense of place and making up an important part of the tourism economy>>.

Who can join AIM?

Membership is open to any museum or heritage site – you don’t have to be independently run to apply to join. 

AIM is an open, respectful, supportive and welcoming community whose members are expected to uphold the behaviours and good practice highlighted in the AIM Hallmarks of Prospering Museums>> and our commitment to delivering public benefit.

Please visit our Join AIM page>> for rates, information and a membership form.

The AIM membership

Click here to read profiles of several AIM members>>

Click here to view a UK map of AIM members>>

Helping organisations

Join AIM for support, discounts and other benefits

Sign up to AIM e-newsletter

Sign up for free to receive the fortnightly E News from AIM and get news about jobs, grants, events and much more

AIM Grants

AIM can offer member museums a variety of grants to support different areas of your work