Leave a legacy
Contact us
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 (0)207 323 8948
Write to us:
Cat Paronjan, Legacy Manager,
Development,
British Museum,
Great Russell Street,
London, WC1B 3DG
Legacy gifts provide the Museum with vital support and stability for the future. As a charity partially funded by the government, the British Museum relies on additional funding to carry out its work.
By leaving a gift in your Will you can help enable research, conservation, education, object acquisition and other vital work. Gifts of any size make a difference and are sincerely appreciated.
The Museum is preparing to meet the challenges of the future while ensuring its global collection remains free, relevant and accessible for generations to come. Driving this is the Masterplan, one of the most significant cultural redevelopment projects undertaken anywhere in the world, reimagining the Museum for the 21st century – so you can be sure that your gift will have a truly lasting and transformative effect.
Our Legacy Manager would be happy to talk to you about how your gift could benefit the future work of the Museum. You can also find useful information about how to leave a gift at the bottom of this page.
A gift in your Will
There are several types of gift that may be left in your Will, including:
Pecuniary gifts
An exact sum of money specified in your Will.
Residuary gifts
A part of your estate, given after all expenses and other gifts have been settled.
Reversionary gifts
A gift of property or assets that is passed to a named individual for enjoyment in their lifetime. On their death the whole or a portion of these assets revert to the beneficiary of the reversionary legacy.
Specific gifts
A particular asset – such as property, shares or an object or work of art.
Legacy gifts of objects
Objects left in Wills make up some of the highlights of the British Museum. However, we need to make sure we have the resources to store and care for all objects accepted into the collection, and that new objects align with the Museum's Acquisitions policy. If you are considering leaving a specific gift to the British Museum in your Will, please contact our Legacy Manager at [email protected] with images and provenance information, to discuss your gift before writing the relevant section of your Will.
Acceptance in Lieu
The Acceptance in Lieu scheme enables UK taxpayers to transfer pre-eminent works of art and heritage objects to the nation while settling inheritance tax. For more information on the administration of the scheme, please see the Arts Council England website.
Donate in memory
An in-memoriam gift or a tribute fund is a beautiful way to honour a loved one, a friend or perhaps someone who inspired you. Many names live on through wonderful Museum programmes, projects, exhibitions and acquisitions supported in memory.
If you would like to discuss naming opportunities for this type of support, our Legacy Manager will be happy to hear from you at [email protected]
Non-UK legacies
Are you a US citizen?
US taxpayers who wish to leave a gift to support the Museum's work can make a bequest to the American Friends of the British Museum. This is a non-profit organisation able to offer tax relief on gifts pursuant to 501(c)(3) of the US IRS Code. In some cases, you may be able to make a bequest directly to the British Museum.
Are you elsewhere in the world?
The Museum is grateful to have supporters around the world. If you are resident outside of the UK or the US and wish to leave a legacy to the Museum, please obtain local independent legal advice.
How to leave a gift
If you would like to leave a legacy to the British Museum you can do so by:
- giving a gift in your Will to the Trustees of the British Museum, or
- amending an existing Will by making a Codicil to add a gift to the Trustees of the British Museum.
You'll find suggested wording below that can be adapted by your solicitor or other legal advisor to reflect your wishes.
We strongly recommend that you take suitable independent legal advice in relation to your Will to ensure that it reflects your wishes, meets your personal circumstances and is valid. The suggested wording below is not intended to be legal, tax or financial advice, and this wording may not be suitable for every individual or situation.
Thank you
Leaving a gift in your Will is a personal decision, but if you would like to make the British Museum aware of your intention, we would be delighted to have the opportunity to thank you. Please see our legacy pledge form for more information on becoming a member of the Portland Circle.
