The Migration Museum is delighted to announce that the Portal Trust has become an inaugural donor of its new permanent home in the City of London.

The Portal Trust will provide £500,000 in funding over the next three years to help the Migration Museum establish Britain’s first permanent museum dedicated to exploring how migration has shaped who we are – as individuals, communities and nations.

The funding will support the salaries, capital and project costs of delivering the Migration Museum’s award-winning learning programme in its new permanent home from a dedicated learning suite to be used for educational activities including interactive workshops, creative activities, and meaningful discussions. The Migration Museum will name one of the the classrooms within the learning suite ‘The Portal Trust Education Room’ for a period of 20 years.

This funding will be instrumental in ensuring that more schools and families can visit the museum and benefit from our immersive, hands-on, story-led learning experiences.

The Portal Trust is an educational grant-making charity that enables young people in London, particularly those from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds, to access educational opportunities. It has been supporting school groups to visit the Migration Museum since 2023 through funding for its Transforming Migration Education Programme, which works with teachers and students at Key Stage 3 and GCSE level.

The Portal Trust is based across the road from the site of the Migration Museum’s new permanent home, at the intersection of the City and the East End, areas with rich, multi-layered migration histories stretching back many centuries, and just minutes away from well-known landmarks including the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the Bank of England. 

When it reopens at its permanent home in 2028, the Migration Museum will be the UK’s first permanent museum dedicated to migration, welcoming 140,000 visitors a year to its exhibitions, events, learning and community programmes, including 20,000 learners.

 

Announcing the agreement, Richard Foley, Chief Executive of the Portal Trust, said:

“We’re excited to be on this journey with the Migration Museum until its opening in 2028 and beyond. Our support for the Migration Museum will place the study of migration where it belongs – at the heart of Britain’s history. It will also improve accessibility, ensuring more schools and families can visit the museum and benefit from the immersive, hands-on learning experiences that make visiting a museum so special.

“We’re especially excited to support the Portal Trust Education Room within the museum. By engaging with real-life migration stories, students will deepen their understanding of the world around them. The Education Room will be a powerful tool for educators, and a resource that brings these important conversations to life.

In today’s world, where discussions about migration can be divisive, the museum offers a much-needed space for reflection and understanding. It’s a place where young people can engage with complex issues in a safe and supportive environment, equipping them with the tools to become more inclusive and thoughtful citizens. The museum is not just about learning the past, it’s about shaping the future.”

 

Sophie Henderson, CEO of the Migration Museum, said:

 “We are delighted to welcome the Portal Trust as an inaugural donor of our permanent home. Their support will be instrumental in growing our award-winning learning programme, which equips learners with the skills and confidence to better understand and contextualise who they are and how they fit into and are a part of Britain’s long history of migration.

The Portal Trust’s generous support will enable us to engage tens of thousands of young people a year on migration and intersecting themes from our dedicated education suite at our new permanent home in the City of London. 

Now more than ever, we need an inspiring space for learners from across London, Britain and beyond to come together to explore, discuss and reflect on key questions around migration, identity and belonging – and the Portal Trust’s support will enable us to deliver this.”

 

This short video brings to life the Migration Museum’s award-winning learning programme and its impact on learners and teachers.

View the press release here

Find out more about the Migration Museum’s plans for its permanent home and how you can get involved.

Find out more about the Portal Trust.

Top images: Migration Museum, Felix Ursell
Film by: Felix Ursell