The Bronte Parsonage has received a £20,000 donation from the estate of TS Eliot after the coronavirus pandemic put the museum's future at risk.
A trustee of the poet's estate said the donation had been made possible due to the success of the musical Cats.
The Bronte Society, which runs the museum in Haworth, West Yorkshire, said it had a little known link to the poet.
This week, the museum announced a consultation on redundancies as Covid-19 has limited visitor numbers.
Rebecca Yorke, a spokesperson for the Bronte Society said: "The very generous donation from the TS Eliot estate was totally unexpected and has given our fundraising a huge boost, we are extremely grateful and touched by their support."
"It is thought that the 'Bradford millionaire' that Eliot refers to in The Waste Land may have been Sir James Roberts, who was a customer of the bank where Eliot worked.
"Sir James was a Yorkshire industrialist and philanthropist who bought Haworth Parsonage and gifted it to The Bronte Society in 1928.
"It's wonderful that there is still a connection between Eliot and the Brontes all these years later."
The parsonage, which was the family home of authors Charlotte, Anne and Emily Bronte, usually attracts more than 70,000 visitors per year.
However, it was forced to close during lockdown and only reopened to the public over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The parsonage is unable to welcome the usual number of visitors due to the "intimate nature of the house," Ms Yorke said.
The Bronte Society has now notified staff of its intention to enter a period of consultation with them, which may lead to redundancies.
A crowdfunding appeal has been launched to try and raise £100,000.
An online festival, called #Bronte2020, took place on Friday, contributing more than £6,500 to the cause.
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