Get involved in the Polar Museum
Front of house
We are always looking for interested volunteers to staff the museum on a day-to-day basis.
The role will include working on reception and in the shop, as well as meeting and helping visitors to ensure that they have the best possible visit to the museum. Full training will be given.
If you would like to find out more please e-mail volunteer@spri.cam.ac.uk.
Support the Polar Museum
Collections support
From time to time, we have vacancies for volunteers willing to work on short to medium term projects alongside our collections care staff. These are normally advertised through the University of Cambridge Museums Get Involved pages, which are a great source of information for anyone wishing to obtain experience of museum work.
Giving to SPRI
The Scott Polar Research Institute is renowned for the quality of its polar collections, research and teaching. Contributions made by the public play a vital role in ensuring that the Institute is able to preserve its heritage collections and make them accessible for all to enjoy.
You can make a gift online by credit/debit card on the University's giving pages.
For details of other ways to support the Polar Museum, please see below:
- Supporting the Museum including enabling us to purchase items for our collections
- Tax-Effective Giving
- Friends and Patrons Groups
- Legacy Giving
- Corporate Giving
Supporting the Museum
The museum does not have an aquisitions budget, and relies on external funding in order to purchase items for its collections. To make a donation online please go to the University's Online Giving page.
To make a donation by post, please make your cheque payable to 'The University of Cambridge a/c YQ', with 'Polar Museum' written on the reverse, and send to:
Professor Neil Arnold, Director
Scott Polar Research Institute
University of Cambridge
Lensfield Road
Cambridge CB2 1ER
Tax-Effective Giving
There are a number of tax incentives for donors to the Polar Museum. The most frequently used is Gift Aid, where a charity can reclaim tax paid on donations from UK taxpayers, currently allowing donations to be increased by up to 28%.
The University's Gift Aid form, along with further information about tax-effective giving, such as gifts of shares, planned giving and payroll giving, are all available on the University website.
Friends and Patron Groups
To support the Institute by joining one of our Friends and Patrons groups, please click on a link below:
- Friends of SPRI
- Patrons Group (please contact the Director for further information)
Legacy Giving
By leaving a gift in your will, you can help us safeguard Britains' polar heritage for the appreciation of future generations.
Recent legacies have enabled us to:
- Purchase important polar materials at auction, including the Midshipman Logs of Robert Falcon Scott
- Expand our collections through the generous bequests of archives, artefacts and works of art left to the Museum
- Generate income from the grant of copyright in Apsley Cherry-Garrard's The Worst Journey in the World
- Employ curatorial staff
For more information, please see the Leaving a Legacy document or contact:
Corporate Giving
Please visit our Corporate Giving page to find out more about how your business can support the Institute.