The Trustees' Academy was an independent art and trade school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design. The Academy was founded in 1760, reduced in scope in 1892 by a schism, then became defunct in 1903.

Initially the Academy was continental in outlook and training, but the fourth Master of the Academy David Allan also introduced a Scottish style. Latterly in 1858, English instruction was forced on the school and this initiated a schism. The art school side of the Academy split off separately in 1892 as the School of Applied Art and the Trustee Academy solely became a trade and design school. This lasted until 1903 when the Trustee Academy became the Architecture wing of the School of Applied Art. In 1907 the Scottish Education Department became responsible and founded the new Edinburgh College of Art under Scottish direction once again.

Allan Ramsay founded the first 'Art School' in Scotland by opening the Academy of St. Luke in Edinburgh in 1729.

A 'Foulis School' of Design was opened by the University of Glasgow in 1753. It boasted Pierre-Alexandre Aveline and Jean-Pierre Payen as the Masters of the School. A whole session of the college term cost students a guinea and a half.

A similar design school was founded in 1760 by the Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of Manufacturing in Scotland for Edinburgh. It was originally sited in Picardy Place.

As a manufacturing board set up the design school the original intention was to found a trade school for pupils to learn the likes of house painting, carving, cabinet making, engraving and printing. It promoted art as a means to design patterns for the wool and cotton industries.

The Master of the Academy was however always a fine artist; and this meant that painters as well as engravers and other designers were attracted to the Trustee's Academy as well as tradespeople.

The Fine Arts did become formally established in its own right at the Academy in 1798 when a separate Drawing Academy department was introduced.