Please note we are having issues with our main phone line. To contact the Museum please dial (02) 4731 6468 or 0459 893 925 to speak with a team member.
Donate to our collection
Thank you for your interest in donating an object, photograph or document to the Museum of Fire collection. The museum relies on important community stakeholders, such as yourself, to contribute to our significant heritage collection.
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The Museum of Fire is a not-for-profit, registered charity and the official heritage partner of Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW). The museum’s collection is of national significance and celebrates the important and heroic history of firefighters and fire services across Australia. Many of the items in the museum’s extensive heritage collection are listed on the State Heritage Register.
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All donation offers are considered on a case-by-case basis, in the context of the museum’s Collection Policy, existing collection holdings, conservation requirements, and storage constraints.
If you are interested in donating to us, please email:
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If you are interested in making a financial contribute to the museum, please see our financial donation page for further information.
Donation guidelines
Please include in your email a description of the object/s you would like to donate. The more information you can provide, the easier it is for us to assess what you are offering. Useful information includes:
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Your full details - including a current phone number or email address
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A physical description of the object/s
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Images of the object/s
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History of ownership
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When and how you acquired the object/s
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Include any stories about this object or about the people connected to the object, if known
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A description of any supporting material including documents, photographs or film
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A description of the object’s condition
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Please read our collections policy to make sure your donation is right for us.
Cultural gifts program
The Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program provides tax incentives to Australian’s who donate items of cultural significance from their own private collection to public institutions. The Museum of Fire is registered as a recipient under this program (DGR No. 57122).
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Gifts must be valued by at least two valuers who are approved to value for the Program. The Museum of Fire cannot provide valuations. A list of approved values is available for download on the Cultural Gifts Program page of the Office for the Arts on the Attorney-General’s Department website.
Types of gifts
Deductible gift - The museum has been endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR), which allows certain donations to the museum to be claimed as tax deductions by the donor under certain conditions. Gifts of money totalling over $2.00 in any one financial year, property owned by the donor for less than 12 months, or property forming part of the trading stock of a business may be tax deductible to the Donor. It is the Donor’s responsibility to comply with Australian Tax Office guidelines for the valuation of any property offered.
Cultural gift - The museum is endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a public museum. This allows the value of property, which has been owned by the donor for more than 12 months, to be claimed as a tax deduction by the Donor. Such property must be valued under guidelines issued by the Tax Office and the Australian Government Department responsible for the Arts at that time, which requires the Donor to obtain valuations from Certified Valuers. The museum may assist the donor in obtaining these valuations, but any costs are normally the donor’s responsibility. Offers of any such donations should be referred to the CEO in the first instance.
Philanthropic gift - A Philanthropic gift is similar to a Cultural Gift, but processed through the Australian Valuation Office rather than the department responsible for the Arts. Any such proposed donations must also be referred to the CEO.
Free gift - Many small items may be passed to the museum without any intention of the Donor seeking a financial or tax benefit. Museum documentation, however, must be in the same format as for processing Deductible Gifts (described above).
To comply with Australian Tax Office guidelines for accepting these gifts, the museum has setup the Museum of Fire Gift Fund to which all donations of money or property must be credited. This fund is required to maintain a Register of Donations and a separate bank account for monetary donations, and to issue separate receipts for all such donations. Thus, any item (money or property, whether for the collection of for other use within the museum) which is donated to the museum must in the first instance be recorded in the Gift Fund Register. ‘Donations’ made to obtain a benefit or service from the museum (e.g. Sponsorship for an exhibit) may not be allowed as gifts, but may be otherwise tax deductible for the Donor. The Donor should be issued with a receipt which must show the Gift Fund’s name, a description of the donated items, and the fact that the receipt is for a gift. It is the donor’s responsibly to obtain the value of such property if required. After acceptance into the Gift Fund the item is then passed onto the collection or otherwise dispersed, and an appropriate entry is to be made in the Register to reflect the action taken.
