Coronavirus resources

Update – a new national lockdown announced on 4 January and all museums and galleries must stay closed.

You can read the latest government guidance here>>

In Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland different rules apply:

Northern Ireland: a new lockdown comes into force from Saturday 26 December (Boxing Day) for six weeks. All leisure and entertainment businesses, including museums and galleries will be closed. Click here for more>>
Wales: from Saturday 20 December a level 4 lockdown applies and all visitor attractions, indoor and outdoor must remain closed until further notice. Click here for more>>
Scotland: level 4 restrictions will apply from 26 December (Boxing Day) for at least three weeks. All leisure and entertainment business must close. Click here for more>>

We have developed a range of resources and services to support members following the outbreak of COVID-19. These pages are updated on a regular basis.

AIM advocacy

The latest sector news and AIM’s current advocacy position. Find out more here.

Culture Recovery Fund

New £400 million Culture Recovery Fund round:

Plans for allocating the remainder of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund have been announced. Funding, which was held back in previous rounds to allow the Government to respond to the changing public health picture, will be available for organisations who are at imminent risk of collapse before the end of this Financial Year.
Loans of over £1m available
Applications for £300m in grants will be made in January 2021 via Arts Council England or National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Click here for more information>> (updated 21 December)

In other news, £165 million in repayable finance has been offered to 11 nationally and internationally significant organisations that demonstrated opportunities to engage local communities through education and outreach programmes. You can read more about this here>>

£58.8 million of capital investment via the Capital Kickstart Fund has been announced, supporting 74 arts organisations. Recipients include Manchester Museum, Towner Art Gallery, Derby Museums, Dorset County Museum, Nottingham Castle Trust, and the Museum of the Home. You can read more about this here>>

Financial support and funding packages:

UK Gov Financial Support (incl Job Retention Scheme) (updated 6 January)

Visit the AIM grants page for the grants currently open for applications from AIM members, including Tacking Inequalities Hallmark grants, AIM Pilgrim Conservation grants and AIM training grants. Click here to access the grants page>>

Available funding sources >>

Support exclusively for AIM members:

AIM Hallmarks at Home – book your place for an online session>>

HR support for AIM members from The HR Dept>>

Advice for museums during lockdown and beyond:

AIM Covid-19 Action Checklist

Business resilience checklist

Good governance in a crisis

Conservation and care of collections

Insurance FAQs

How to set up a trading subsidiary

Business Rates latest