As the real citizens that they are, Friends of Museums was founded to act as a bridge between society and museums, keeping these institutions abreast of the issues and interests that citizens, as potential visiting public, hold.
The Friends network has the capacity to enrich life of a museum world and turn it into a cultural landmark within the city.

The earliest associative movements that focused on the work of museums in Europe arose in the 19 th century, but it wasn't well until the 20 th century that the first Friends of Museums associations began to appear in Spain. Pioneer among these is the Catalonia Association of Friends of Museums which, since its founding, has worked intensely to protect monuments and museums all over Catalonia. It was this Catalonian association which promoted the founding of the Spanish Federation of Friends of Museums, along with the then newly created Association of Friends of the Prado Museum and a group of individuals and associations led by Profesor Lafuente Ferrari, who would become the first president of the Spanish Federation.
Founded as a not-for-profit association, the Federation's foremost aim is to attend to the needs of and provide support to the Friends of Museums associations that work and foster knowledge and awareness of museum collections and the historical-artistic heritage under their care. Moreover, the Federation, as a representative of this citizen movement in favour of museums, is involved in spreading awareness of the work of The Friends group and to convey to society at large the importance of protecting the cultural Heritage of museums, which belongs to us all and is of particular importance to The Friends.
Citizen awareness and interest in museums and their collections grows more and more every day. The 40 that comprised the Federation in 1997, have, ten years later, grown in number to more than a hundred; the number of Friends associations among these new members have increased in an even greater proportion.
The Friends associations have become one of the museum's strongest allies. They have also become ambassadors to the citizen at-large, that is, members of the public who were previously disconnected from these institutions as they perhaps deemed them closed or exclusive to certain intellectual or professional sectors of society. As the real citizens that they are, Friends of Museums was founded to act as a bridge between society and museums, keeping these institutions abreast of the issues and interests that citizens, as potential visiting public, hold.
They undertake numerous and varied tasks and activities in support of museums. They range from assistance to museums in seeking sponsorship for specific activities such as exhibitions, workshops and conferences; the public promotion of collections and museum visits; to support for visits or the acquisition of pieces. This work, in close alliance with museum management, is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Code of Ethics approved by the Word Congress of Friends of Museums, held in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1996.
Well-known are the Friends associations of the larger, more significant museums, yet equally relevant is the work carried out by Friends associations linked to the smaller museums that frequently operate at the local level. The Friends network has the capacity to enrich the museum world and convert it into a cultural landmark within the city.
The Friends associations are made up of people committed to society; their concern for and interest in safeguarding cultural heritage are what make the task of museum ennoblement and awareness a cause unto itself. Once achieved, these cultural institutions shall be returned to and shared with the rest of society.