Make a donation

The Museum's mission is to maintain and develop its collections and use them to promote the discovery, understanding, responsible use and enjoyment of the natural world.

Public funding alone is not sufficient to fulfil our mission and your generous donations will help support our magnificent collections and crucial research work.

Make a donation online or contact us for further information.

How to donate


The Museum ensures 100 per cent of every gift goes to fund our vital work in understanding and protecting life on Earth. We welcome single gifts made by cheque, credit card or debit card. You can also make your gift monthly, quarterly or annually by Direct Debit, allowing the Museum to benefit from your continued support.

Don't forget to Gift Aid it!


Under the Gift Aid scheme all gifts made by UK tax payers qualify for tax relief, allowing the Museum to increase the value of your gift by 28 per cent at no extra cost to you. In order for the Museum to claim tax relief under the Gift Aid scheme, donors must be paying an amount of UK income tax or capital gains tax equal to the tax deducted from their donation.

For example, a regular gift of £8.30 per month totals £100 per year. Under the Gift Aid scheme, we can claim an additional £28 in tax relief, increasing the total value of the gift to the Museum to £128. If you're a higher rate tax payer, you could claim an additional £23 in personal tax relief on your £100 gift, and reduce your actual cost to £77.

For the purposes of calculating Gift Aid we are required by the Inland Revenue to declare the commercial value of the benefits offered to our Patrons at each giving level. The Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise will treat any payment above the agreed value of benefits as a voluntary donation eligible for tax relief under the Gift Aid scheme, increasing its value by 28 per cent.

Cartoon image of a hatchet fish on a museum pass

In World War II the Museum was used as a secret base to develop new gadgets for allied spies, including an exploding rat!