Management and governance

The British Museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through a three year funding agreement. Its aim is to hold for the benefit and education of humanity a collection representative of world cultures and to ensure that the collection is housed in safety, conserved, curated, researched and exhibited.

The Museum is governed by a board of 25 trustees in accordance with the British Museum Act of 1963 and the Museums and Galleries Act of 1992. Trustee appointments are governed by the regulatory framework set out in the code of practice on public appointments issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The Board is responsible for the general management and control of the Museum through the adoption of its Annual Plan and overarching strategy and for the appointment of the Director. The Director is the Accounting Officer for the purposes of reporting to Government and has delegated responsibility for the general administration of the Museum.

The Museum's Governance Policies and Principles regulate the proceedings of the Board, and facilitate the exercise of its functions in pursuit of the Museum's planned objectives.

A full range of policies covering every area of Museum activity has been adopted by its Board of Trustees. These policies are constantly updated in line with new legislation and developments in best practice.