As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2031, we need your help to transform our building and create 100 million advocates for the planet.
Our revitalised building will be the heart of our global mission to find solutions to the planetary emergency.
Your support will help us:
We’re opening one new gallery each year until 2031.
This will create more space, so we can engage one million more visitors each year with the wonders of the natural world and our groundbreaking science.
Engaging 10 million school children, families and changemakers through our advocacy programmes, including:
...we unveiled our new five-acre gardens, which welcomed more than five million visitors within the first 12 months of opening.
...we opened our new, permanent, free-to-visit Fixing Our Broken Planet Gallery.
In its first four months alone more than one million visitors came to see it.
The gallery is a hub for learning about and discussing scientific solutions that will slow climate change and restore biodiversity.
...we began construction of our new science and collections facility at Thames Valley Science Park.
By moving 28 million specimens to this new building, we’re able to return two long-closed, magnificent galleries to public use.
The move will also allow us to restore and renew our existing galleries and increase our capacity to make more space for visitors.
We need to raise £150 million to complete this transformation, so we can become a beacon for protecting, preserving and renewing the natural world long into the future.
The Hidden Histories Gallery is reopening after more than 80 years sealed away from the public.
In this new experimental space visitors will discover extraordinary stories about how human history is entwined with the natural world, through specimens and historic objects that haven’t been on display before.
A pop-up exhibition in the gallery in 2026 will include a prototype for one of the famous Crystal Palace dinosaurs and a monk seal called Jenny ‘the talking fish’.
Plus, a handaxe that was discovered alongside the remains of woolly mammoths in 1859. This extraordinary find proved that humans existed on Earth hundreds of thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
For the first time in our 150-year history, we’ll be opening a new permanent gallery designed especially for young children.
The gallery will dazzle, delight and entertain as it introduces them to the wonders of the natural world.
Designed for ages 4–7 and their adults, this playful gallery will be jam-packed with hands-on interactives.
Not only will it be a place for families to make memories together, it will inspire the next generation of advocates for the planet.
Nearly 150 years ago, Sir Richard Owen, the Superintendent of the Natural History Collections at the British Museum, had a vision.
He pictured a cathedral to nature that would celebrate the richness and abundance of life on Earth, inspire the public and fuel scientific research.
His vision – the Natural History Museum – succeeded magnificently!
Our building dates back to 1881, but our story starts even earlier in 1753.
Today the natural world faces threats Sir Richard Owen may never have imagined 150 years ago.
In 2020, we declared a planetary emergency and shifted our focus to pioneering science-based solutions for nature, from nature.
Our public platform has the power to engage a global audience in this mission and create advocates for the planet.
We have a unique chance to make an impact.
The collections we care for are full of hidden discoveries that could benefit life on our planet that are just waiting to be unlocked by our scientific expertise.
We’ve raised more than £400 million to secure the future of the collections and transform our gardens and grounds.
We’ve also expanded our influence beyond our walls, launching the National Education Nature Park and delivering award-winning global advocacy programmes.
With your support, we can transform the Natural History Museum. Together we can inspire more advocates for the planet, accelerate scientific discovery and provide solutions for nature, from nature.
To discuss how your financial support could help us achieve our transformation, please contact:
Development
Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
London
SW7 5BD
To donate a smaller amount or support us in another way, see all the ways you can support our work.