Skip to main content

Tax-effective giving

Every donation to the Science Museum is gratefully received. Your generosity is vitally important to our continued success, benefiting the Museum and rewarding you in the process.

Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a UK government tax scheme enabling the Science Museum to reclaim tax paid on donations that we receive from UK taxpayers. For each eligible gift, the UK government will add another 25% to the total at no cost to the donor. For example: a £100 gift with Gift Aid is worth £125 to the Museum.

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). Please note: Other taxes that you may pay, such as VAT or Council Tax, do not qualify for Gift Aid relief.

Donations from companies are not eligible for Gift Aid. However, the company can treat the gift as an allowable expense, making a saving on Corporation Tax.

Gifts made with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) vouchers have already had Gift Aid claimed on them by CAF and passed to the charity, so further Gift Aid cannot be claimed

US Tax Payers

If you are both a US and UK taxpayer gifts to the Science 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.

Donations can be made to US Friends of the Science Museum, which is an independent charity that supports the work of the Science Museum in the United Kingdom. US Friends of the Science Museum receives full tax-exempt status from the IRS under section 501 (c) (3) allowing United States taxpayers to receive tax deductions on gifts.

US citizens who are resident in the United Kingdom and pay UK income tax can Gift Aid their donation through UK Friends of the Science Museum. UK Friends is a pass through entity solely owned by US Friends of the Science Museum.

Further information

For more information, please contact:

Amanda Crofts, Senior Philanthropy Officer?

Telephone: +44  (0)20 7942 4028

Email: amanda.crofts@sciencemuseum.ac.uk