Donate to the National Maritime Collection

Do you own a piece of our maritime heritage? It might be a photograph, a painting, a ship model... These and other items that relate to Australia's maritime heritage may be of interest to the museum. Under Australian tax legislation, gifts to the museum can be tax-deductible.

There are several ways of donating to the Australian National Maritime Museum.

1) Donate maritime heritage and cultural gifts to the National Maritime Collection

The Commonwealth Government's Cultural Gifts Program encourages gifts of significant cultural items to public art galleries, museums and libraries by offering donors a tax deduction for the market value of their gifts, under Subdivision 30-A of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. The Department of Communications and the Arts administers the scheme with the advice of the Committee on Taxation Incentives for the Arts. Independent valuers examine donations to ensure they conform with the scheme's requirements.

2) Donate financial support, or support in kind, to conservation projects

The physical care of the National Maritime Collection is a vital part of the work of the museum. You can contribute financial support to this work at any time. For example, we couldn't display a unique 20-metre-long watercolour panorama of Sydney Harbour painted in 1907 (pictured above), until it had been cleaned, repaired and stabilised. This was achieved through the generosity of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, which became sole sponsor of the work.

Many businesses have helped in the preservation of the National Maritime Collection by providing a variety of goods and services free of charge, from marine coatings and adhesives and a wide variety of other materials to shipyard services and transport.

3) Donate financial support to the Australian National Maritime Foundation (ANMF)

The Australian National Maritime Foundation has these objectives:

• create a capital fund, through gifts, bequests and fund-raising activities, for the purposes of:
• • acquiring major additional items or collections of items to develop the National Maritime Collection referred to in Section 9 of the Australian National Maritime Museum Act 1990;
  • conserving the National Maritime Collection;
  • other activities which enhance the National Maritime Collection;
• receive gifts and bequests for specific activities relating to the National Maritime Collection and the museum;
• support the National Maritime Collection and the museum generally.

Monies in the fund can only be spent to further the objectives of the foundation. Major expenditure decisions will be made by Foundation Directors in consultation with the chairman and director of the museum. Cash gifts to the museum are tax-deductible in terms of sub-paragraph 78(a)(xxvii) and paragraph 78(1)(aa) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936.

Foundation directors

Chairman Bill Cutbush Company Director

Directors

• Kay Cottee AO former Chairman Australian National Maritime Museum
• Peter Dexter AM Company Director
• Trevor Haworth AM Executive Chairman Captain Cook Cruises
• Rob Mundle Author and journalist
• Peter Sinclair AM CSC Chairman Australian National Maritime Museum
• Mary-Louise Williams Director Australian National Maritime Museum

Secretary Russell Smylie Australian National Maritime Museum

Bequests to the Australian National Maritime Museum

You may like to support the National Maritime Collection through bequeathing a part or all of your estate, objects or collections which you presently enjoy. Or you may like to set up a special fund in your own name. Our staff will be happy to advise you.

Advice to potential donors

The museum advises that you discuss your plans with your family financial and legal advisors. Our staff will be happy to advise you and explain the procedures and benefits of donating to the National Maritime Collection. Please contact:

Michael Crayford
Assistant Director Collections & Exhibitions

Phone: +61 2 9298 3745
Email: mcrayford@anmm.gov.au

Russell Smylie
Foundation Secretary

Phone: +61 2 9298 3619
Email: rsmylie@anmm.gov.au