Support us

Friends of The Grant Museum: Adopt a specimen

The Friends of the Grant Museum help ensure the collection's continued success and survival in many ways. The Friends programme helps fund ongoing projects including conservation, documentation and the renovation of displays. In addition, funds raised through the Friends programme will enable new and exciting projects to be initiated, such as those geared towards widening participation and improving access to the collection for all.

Benefits of becoming a Friend

Membership lasts for one year, after which it can be renewed. Benefits include:

The adoption of a specimen with an adoption certificate
Your name on the specimen
Invitations to our great events programme
Receive e-newsletters with exciting goings on at the Grant Museum
An annual outing to places of historic and scientific interest.

To become a Friend and adopt a specimen, or make an adoption as a gift, please download, complete and return the adoption form (104kb pdf). Or, alternatively, please visit our shop page to buy membership online.

When making your choice, please see our list of orphan specimens which are available for adoption. We advise you to select three specimens in order of preference in case your first choice is no longer available.
Giftaid
Gift Aid your membership

Gift Aid is an additional way to support the Grant Museum at no extra cost to you. If you are a UK taxpayer, this means for every pound you give, we get an extra 25 pence. All we need is your consent by signing and dating the Gift Aid declaration in the above adoption form.

Please note that Gift Aid is not applicable on gift memberships, unless the person buying the membership is the parent/guardian of a child recipient, or is also receiving the membership, e.g. as part of a family membership.
Infant chimpanzee skeleton
Bone Idols: Protecting our iconic skeletons

We are currently working to conserve 39 of the largest specimens in the Grant Museum. These skeletons need to undergo treatment to remove the damaging pollutants and particulates that have built up over up to 180 years on open display, often on unsuitable mounts. This work will allow us to safe-guard our irreplaceable collection for the long-term future and continue to use it every day for teaching, research and public engagement.

Visit the Bone Idols project website for more information, and to find how you can help.
Volunteering at the Grant Museum

Due to the high demand for a limited number of volunteering opportunities, the Museum is only able to take on volunteers who are current UCL students (post-grad or under-grad). We are not able to offer any volunteering opportunities or work experience placements to any other individuals.

For UCL students, whether you're interested in being a biologist, an archaeologist, a palaeontologist, a museum professional or an educator, volunteering experience at the Grant Museum is a great way to further your interest and help us at the same time.

For those students who volunteer with us the Museum offers many opportunities to get involved in education (see our Learning page for more details of what we offer), conservation of the specimens, documentation of the collection and general museum assistance. There are always plenty of things to do, and we can usually tailor your activities to your own abilities.