Elias Ashmole Trust

The Elias Ashmole Trust, established in 2000 as a charitable company, exists solely to support and enrich the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, upholding the vision of its 17th-century founder Elias Ashmole for the world's first university museum dedicated to advancing knowledge in natural history, archaeology, art, and culture. Its mission centers on public education, collection preservation, research, and scholarship, channeling philanthropy to enhance the museum's world-class holdings and public benefit. With trustees steeped in cultural expertise, the Trust embodies stewardship, enabling major initiatives beyond public funding while prioritizing measurable impacts in heritage access and interpretation.

It funds targeted projects exclusively for the Ashmolean, including artefact acquisitions (e.g., Powhatan's Mantle), conservation, gallery enhancements (e.g., Ashmolean Story Gallery), exhibitions, research initiatives, and educational outreach, benefiting the museum, scholars, students, and the general public.

Eligibility is highly restrictive: support flows only to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxfordshire, with no provision for external organizations, regardless of size, income, or legal status. Unsolicited applications are not accepted; grants are decided internally by trustees in consultation with museum leadership.

Typical grants range from a few thousand pounds to £200,000 for significant projects, awarded adhoc at trustee meetings without deadlines or open rounds. The Trust excludes core costs, unrestricted support, emergency aid, or any activities outside the museum's scope, distinguishing it as a uniquely focused philanthropic backbone for one premier UK institution, eschewing broader grantmaking for singular, high-impact museum excellence.