MUSEUM OF CAMBRIDGE

What MUSEUM OF CAMBRIDGE does

The Museum of Cambridge is an independent registered charity (No. 311309) and company limited by guarantee (No. 00412205), founded in 1936 and operating from a Grade II listed building at 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge. It is the only independent social history museum in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire, curating a collection of over 40,000 everyday objects spanning roughly 300 years of local life, and it runs exhibitions, events, tours, and learning programmes (Curator for a Day, Loan Boxes) for schools, families, and the general public. Its core technology stack consists of the Capturing Cambridge interactive mapping platform — a digital heritage site with nearly 17,000 records documenting stories, photos, and landmarks — and the Modes museum cataloguing database that manages the 40,000-object collection. The institution is supported by 4 full-time staff, 9–10 trustees, and over 50 volunteers.

The museum's revenue model is a mix of earned and contributed income typical of small UK independent museums: ticket admissions, venue hire for corporate and private events, an on-site retail shop, a Friends membership programme, donations and fundraising campaigns (including the #YourMuseumNeedsYou COVID appeal), corporate sponsorships, and grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Cambridge City Council, University of Cambridge colleges, and trusts such as the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund. Disclosed annual operating cost is approximately £200,000, against which the institution relies on a small number of institutional funders and diversified long-tail visitor and community engagement to maintain solvency. Customer segments include general visitors, schools and young people, community and underrepresented groups (e.g., via the ReStorying OUR Museum decolonisation initiative and the Disability Heritage project), researchers and academics, and corporate/private event clients.

Name

MUSEUM OF CAMBRIDGE

Legal name

The Museum of Cambridge

Website

https://museumofcambridge.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Museum of Cambridge is an independent registered charity and social-history museum, founded in 1936, that cares for a 40,000-object collection and serves visitors, schools, researchers, community groups, and corporate clients through exhibitions, learning programmes, venue hire, and the Capturing Cambridge digital heritage platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social History Museum and Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Social history museum
• Heritage collections
• Educational programmes
• Venue hire services
• Community heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales and Admission: Revenue from visitor admissions to the museum, though significantly impacted during COVID-19 pandemic closures.
2. Venue Hire: Rental of museum spaces for corporate events, private functions, and community meetings. Contributed to reduced income during pandemic closures.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Public donations, fundraising campaigns (#YourMuseumNeedsYou), and charitable giving. Successfully raised £25,000+ mid-campaign in 2021 COVID appeal.
4. Retail Shop: On-site gift shop selling museum merchandise, books, and souvenirs.
5. Membership (Friends of the Museum): Annual membership program supporting the museum with benefits for members.
6. Corporate Partnerships: Sponsorship and partnership arrangements with local businesses and organizations.
7. Grant Funding: Funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Cambridge City Council, and university college partnerships supporting specific projects and operations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Museum of Cambridge operates an independent social history museum preserving a collection of over 40,000 everyday objects spanning approximately 300 years of life in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. It delivers exhibitions, guided tours, school and family learning programmes, community engagement projects, venue hire, an on-site retail shop, and the Capturing Cambridge interactive digital heritage mapping platform. Revenue is generated through admissions, venue hire, retail, Friends membership, donations, and grants from heritage and cultural funders.

Product overview

The Museum of Cambridge is a local social history museum that tells the stories of ordinary people in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. It cares for a collection of over 40,000 everyday objects spanning the last 300 years. The museum offers physical visitor experiences including exhibitions, events, tours, educational programs for schools, and venue hire. Its primary digital offering is the 'Capturing Cambridge' interactive heritage mapping project that documents local history through nearly 17,000 records. The museum operates as a registered charity (No. 311309) and is governed by a Board of Trustees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Visits and Exhibitions On-site access to a Grade II listed building at 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, featuring over 40,000 everyday objects spanning approximately 300 years of local history, plus rotating exhibitions on themes such as South Asian journeys to Cambridgeshire and the town's transition. Targeted at general visitors, families and tourists.
• Capturing Cambridge Interactive Heritage Map A digital mapping platform that brings local history to life through an interactive map containing nearly 17,000 records of stories, photos, landmarks and communities spanning Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. Free online resource for the public, researchers and schools.
• Curator for a Day (School Programme) Hands-on educational programme for school groups in which pupils take on the role of a curator, working with the museum's collections. Targeted at primary and secondary school classes visiting the museum.
• Loan Boxes (School Resource Programme) Boxes of museum objects and learning resources loaned to schools for use in the classroom, providing hands-on access to the collection without an on-site visit. Targeted at school teachers and students in Cambridgeshire.
• Venue Hire Rental of the museum's historic interior spaces for corporate events, private functions and community meetings. Targeted at local businesses, organisations and individuals seeking a distinctive Cambridge venue.
• Museum Shop On-site gift shop selling museum-branded merchandise, books, souvenirs and other products. Targeted at museum visitors and the general public.
• Friends of the Museum Membership Annual membership scheme that supports the museum financially and offers benefits to members in return. Targeted at supporters, regular visitors and local residents.
• Guided Tours Curator-led and themed tours of the museum's collections and exhibitions, offered to visitors and groups. Targeted at general visitors, families and small groups.
• Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship Sponsorship and partnership packages for businesses and organisations supporting the museum's exhibitions, events, and community programmes. Targeted at local companies and corporate supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully reached £25,000+ fundraising milestone during COVID-19 emergency appeal within two months
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• University of Cambridge MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of University museums including representation through Mathew Lowe (Collections Manager for University Museum of Zoology) as trustee. Collaborative collections management and knowledge sharing.
• Living Wage FoundationsupportingOthersAccreditation recognizing the museum as a Living Wage employer, demonstrating commitment to fair pay for staff.
• Share Museums EastsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional museum network supporting shared learning, resources, and collaborative initiatives among East of England museums.
• Heritage CompasssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts Fundraising program providing support and resources for heritage organizations.
• Kettle's YardsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring contemporary art gallery and community cultural organization. Provided public support during COVID-19 fundraising appeal. Active member of Cambridge's cultural eco-system.
• Capturing CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital heritage mapping project documenting local history through nearly 17,000 records. Shared platform linking museum collections to broader community heritage.
• Enid Porter ProjectsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated heritage project documenting local history and stories, linked through website and shared research.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Museum of London: Major London social history museum covering the city's story; comparable thematic focus but operates at much larger scale as a statutory institution, useful only as an incumbent reference point.
• Fitzwilliam Museum: Cambridge University's large art and antiquities museum; comparable only as a broader heritage institution in the same city, with overlapping trustee relationships and curatorial collaboration but vastly greater scale and resources.

Direct peers

• Museum of the Home: London museum of domestic and everyday life history; comparable in focus on ordinary people's daily lives, comparable scale of object collection, and similar education and digital programming.
• People's History Museum: Manchester-based independent museum telling the story of ordinary people's lives and activism; directly comparable as a UK social history museum with similar mission, scale, and reliance on grants, donations, and volunteers.
• Beamish Museum: Open-air living museum of North East England social and industrial history; directly comparable in telling ordinary people's stories through collections and immersive experiences, with strong volunteer and education programmes.
• Museum of English Rural Life (MERL): University of Reading museum focused on everyday rural lives and ordinary people's stories; comparable niche (social/everyday history), grant-funded programming, schools and digital outreach.
• Florence Nightingale Museum: Small London-based independent museum dedicated to social/health history; comparable in size, volunteer-driven model, and reliance on charitable funding and admissions.
• Grant Museum of Zoology (UCL): Small university-affiliated museum of everyday scientific/collecting history; comparable in scale, small paid team, volunteer reliance, and use of a small specialist collection for education and community engagement.

Emerging players

• Tenement Museum (Lower East Side): New York museum telling stories of immigrant and working-class urban life through preserved tenement apartments; highly comparable mission (everyday people, social history) but operates a paid-tour model at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Kettle's Yard: Neighbouring Cambridge contemporary art house and community cultural venue; comparable only as a same-city cultural institution referenced as a partner and supporter, but focused on contemporary art rather than social history.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MuseumofCamb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYOSGZqNgCiAU2eROplzX-w
• Facebookfacebook.com/museumofcambridge
• Instagraminstagram.com/museumofcamb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/museumofcambridge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MUSEUM OF CAMBRIDGE