More information to appear on the Scottish Charity Register from 9 March 2026, including charity trustee names and accounts documents. Click here for more details.

Charity Details

 

Board Of Trustees Of National Museums Of Scotland

SC011130Registered charity from 26 February 1958
2MB ZIP file, with green, blue and mono style logos
2MB ZIP file, with green, blue and mono style logos
Charity Information:
The Name the Charity is Known By National Museums Scotland
Address National Museums Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh
Postcode EH1 1JF
Website www.nms.ac.uk
Regulatory Type Standard
Object:
Section2 (1) of the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985 states: So far as practicable and subject to the provisions of this Act, the Board shall (a) care for, preserve and add to the objects in their collections, (b) secure that the objects are exhibited to and interpreted for the public, (c) secure that the objects are available to persons seeking to inspect them in connection with study or research, (d) generally promote the public's awareness, appreciation and understanding of matters agricultural, archaeological, architectural, artistic, cultural, environmental, historical, industrial, military, scientific and social both by means of the Board's collections and by such other means; including collaboration with other institutions, as they consider appropriate, and (e) provide education, instruction and advice and carry out research.
Operations:
What the charity is set up to do and how it does this:
National Museums Scotland is one of the leading museum groups in Europe. National Museums Scotland is a unique combination of world-class collections, programmes, places and people. Our multi-disciplinary collection is an important resource, historically, culturally and scientifically, which we seek to share as widely as possible through our mission to preserve, interpret and make accessible for all, the past and present of Scotland, other nations and cultures, and the natural world. We care for internationally significant collections of natural sciences, decorative arts, design and fashion, world cultures, science and technology, and Scottish history and archaeology. These collections span thousands of years and we use them to engage the public in exploring and celebrating the world through our displays and exhibitions, our online presence, national and international engagement programmes, schools’ programmes and resources.
Charity Status: Active
Constitutional Form: Other
Constitutional Form Date: 26 Feb 1958
Main Operating Location: City of Edinburgh
Number of Staff: 493
Number of Volunteers: 101-250
Purposes: "the advancement of education", "the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science"
Beneficiaries: "No specific group, or for the benefit of the community"
Types Of Activity Undertaken: "It carries out activities or services itself"
Annual Submissions:
Year End Income Expenditure Annual Return Received Accounts Received Latest Annual Reports and Accounts
31 Mar 2022 £35,592,000 £33,812,000 15 Dec 2022 Yes
31 Mar 2023 £37,026,000 £38,220,000 08 Dec 2023 Yes
31 Mar 2024 £39,554,000 £41,975,000 15 Nov 2024 Yes
31 Mar 2025 £39,537,000 £42,895,000 14 Nov 2025 Yes Visit Charity's Website
31 Mar 2026 No Annual Information due by 31 Dec 2026
If an annual return has been received on time (within nine months of the Year End Date), the 'Annual Return Received' box is green   . If an annual return is late, the box is red   .
Income and Expenditure:
Charity Trustees:
First Name Last Name
Hermione Cockburn
Laura Young
Ian Wall
Motatum Brophy
Sally Mackay
Nicola McKenzie
Stephen Gordon-Dando
Alistair MacCulloch Hetherington
Beth McKillop
Ian Russell
Graeme Gibson
Manuel Fernández Götz
Judith Cruickshank
Richard Oram
Bridget McConnell
From 09 March 2026, OSCR is required by law to publish the names of a charity’s trustees as part of its Scottish Charity Register entry. We are also required to publish each charity’s annual report and accounts as received from this date, which may include the names of certain individuals. The only exceptions to publication are where a charity or one of its charity trustees applies for this information to be excluded, and OSCR is satisfied that publishing it would jeopardise the safety or security of a person or premises.

If the charity trustee information on a Register entry appears blank, this may mean that an exemption applies or that the charity has not yet provided the required details to OSCR. Supplying this information will become mandatory as part of future annual submissions.
Copyright

From 30 June 2025, OSCR began collecting charity trustee information through OSCR Online. Providing this information is a legal requirement for all charities. The names of trustees will be published on the Scottish Charity Register from early 2026 to promote transparency and strengthen public trust in the sector.

© Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator 2006. Crown Database Right 2006.

The Scottish Charity Register ("The Register") is subject to Crown database right.

The Scottish Charity Register is licenced under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Open Government Licence logo

When you use this information under the OGL, you should include the following attribution: © Crown Copyright and database right 2020. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0.

Charity accounts and constitution – what information do we publish?

The Scottish Charity Register contains key information about a charity’s operations and finances. This includes:

  • the names of a charity’s trustees (exemptions apply)
  • its annual report and full accounts, if submitted after 9 March 2026
    (Accounts submitted prior to 9 March 2026 will be redacted, or may not be published, depending on the charity’s income level or legal form.)

These changes are designed to improve transparency across the charity sector in Scotland.

Please note that we accept no responsibility for the functionality, accuracy, or content of external websites. If you experience a technical issue with an external link, you should contact the charity directly.

Under section 23(1)(a) and (b) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, you have the right to request the following information directly from the charity:

  • a copy of the charity’s latest statement of accounts
  • a copy of the charity’s constitution
Back to Previous Page

 

Scroll to top