“Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.” Winston Churchill

As a charity, now more than ever IWM needs your support to ensure we can continue to tell personal stories and experiences of conflict for current and future generations to come.

By joining our close community of supporters, you will contribute to our mission of helping people make sense of an increasingly unpredictable world.

Make a donation to support IWM

  • A school child looks at an exhibit of a concentration camp uniform
    © IWM

    Donate to IWM

    Show your support at any level through our JustGiving page. Any gift we receive, no matter the size, makes a vital contribution to our ongoing work, from conserving our collection to supporting our public programme. 

    What we do at IWM
  • Conserving the Handley Page Victor XH648
    IWM

    Conserving the Handley Page Victor XH648

    Help us to conserve our rare Handley Page Victor for the nation. It is being conserved at IWM Duxford so that future generations can experience the Victor and the story it tells.

    Conservation at IWM

How your support helps

Poster image showing a range of wartime roles with the title Are You In This?

The support of individuals, companies, trusts and foundations is making the following possible:

  • Providing a world class public learning and engagement programme which was accessed by over 1.1 million onsite visitors and reached over 18 million online users in 2021-22.
  • Offering unparalleled digital experiences, both within and outside of the museums’ walls, to ensure we can provide the very best in digital display and content delivery.
  • The launch in 2021 of our ground-breaking new Second World War and Holocaust Galleries, as well as our schedule of Public Programmes and launch of the IWM Institute.
  • Continuing to care for and conserve our unique collection, including HMS Belfast, the most significant surviving Second World War Royal Navy warship.

Other ways to help

  • Membership

    Able to donate £60 or more? Help tell the stories that deserve to be heard by supporting IWM while enjoying membership benefits, from free entry to our charging museums to priority booking on selected events & exhibitions. 

    Corporate Memberships

  • Become an IWM Patron

    By becoming a Patron of IWM (starting at £1,500 p.a. / £125 per month) you will join a community of donors who play an invaluable role in driving forward our vision of creating a more informed, educated and socially-engaged society.

  • Leave a legacy

    By remembering IWM in your will, you are pledging vital future support that can allow IWM to continue to tell the important personal stories of modern war and conflict for future generations to come.

  • Donate in Branch

    In some of our branches we offer the facility to make donations by tapping a contactless credit or debit card.

    If you would like a receipt or need a refund for a transaction then contact our contactless partner Goodbox

  • Contact Us

    Get in touch with the Development Team to explore other ways you can show your support of IWM, please contact Dr Andrew Higgins, Director of Development 

    [email protected]

  • Donate an item to our collection

    Are you are interested in donating an object or item to our collection?

    Donating items to IWM collections

Tax efficient giving

Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a UK government tax scheme enabling the Imperial War Museum to reclaim tax paid on donations that we receive from UK taxpayers. Donating with Gift Aid means we can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give. It won’t cost you any extra.

Higher-rate UK taxpayers can also claim tax relief on their donation. The amount that they can claim back is the difference between the higher rate and basic rate tax.

In order for your gifts to be eligible for Gift Aid, you must be a UK taxpayer who has paid an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that you donate to will reclaim on your gifts for that tax year (currently 25p for every £1 you donate). 

US tax payers

The Imperial War Museum American Foundation is a tax-exempt organisation under section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code and is eligible to receive tax deductible charitable contributions within the limits prescribed by law. 100% of your donation will be used to support the programs of Imperial War Museum.

If you are both a US and UK taxpayer gifts to the Imperial War Museum can be made through the CAF America Donor Fund. Dual tax payers are able to claim Gift Aid in the UK while still benefiting from tax deductions in the US as the CAF American Donor Fund is managed in the UK and wholly owned by CAF America, a US 501 (c) (3) public charity receiving full tax-exempt status from the IRS.

Our charitable status

IWM is a charity and your donations, no matter the size, make a vital contribution to our ongoing work.

IWM is an exempt charity, regulated by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. This means that while we are not registered with the Charity Commission, and don't have a Registered Charity Number, we are still a fully legally constituted charity. For further information please visit the Government Summary on Exempt Charity Status.


We're registered with the Fundraising Regulator