Page last updated: 21 November 2024.

We recognise the amount of work that goes into applying for funding and planning a project. The mandatory Expression of Interest (EOI) stage helps us to filter any projects which are unlikely to receive funding, and saves you time working on a full application unnecessarily.

The EOI word count is deliberately short (maximum 1,000 words) to minimise the time and effort for you to complete this stage.

We will use the information you provide to decide whether to invite you to submit a development phase application. 

If your development phase application is successful, you will receive funding and have up to two years to develop a detailed project proposal for your delivery phase application. 

If your EOI is unsuccessful, you cannot submit a project application. You will need to submit a new EOI first. You must wait three months before you do this.  

Before submitting

Please make sure you have read:  

• what we fund
• the four investment principles we expect heritage projects to take into account
• the full application guidance for National Lottery Heritage Grants £250,000 to £10million  

How to submit

When you are ready, please complete the EOI on our online service.  

You will need to register an account for yourself and for the organisation you are applying for.  

There is no deadline to submit an EOI.

Hearing back from us

We aim to respond to your EOI within 20 working days.  

We will let you know via email whether you are successful in being invited to submit a development phase application. You must apply with 12 months of receiving the invitation. 

If we are not inviting you to apply at this time, we will give you feedback.  

Common reasons EOIs are unsuccessful

EOIs are not always successful. Some common reasons include:

• not taking into account all four investment principles
• repeating our list of investment principles rather than telling us how your project will respond to them
• telling us about capital work only  
• not explaining the need/demand for the project nor wider support for it

Expression of Interest questions

You can see the questions on the EOI below.

Have you spoken to anyone at the Heritage Fund about your idea?

If so, tell us their name.

Describe what you will do during the project.

Include any tasks you have to do to achieve the project goal. You have 200 words.

Do you have a title for the project?

This can be changed at any time. Don't worry if the project does not have a title yet, you can leave 
this blank.

Please outline how your project will respond to our four investment principles.

You have 300 words.

Tell us about the heritage of the project.

Include who it is important to and why. You have 100 words.

What is the need for this project?

What work have you done that shows the potential benefits of the project? You have 200 words.

How long do you think the project will take?

Tell us an estimated start and end date if you have them. You have 50 words.

How much is the project likely to cost?

If you know, tell us about the most important costs. These costs can be estimated. You have 200 
words.

How much funding are you planning to apply for from us?

Submit an amount.

When are you likely to submit a funding application, if asked to do so?

You have 50 words.

Guidance updates

We will regularly review this guidance and respond to user feedback. We reserve the right to make changes as required. We will communicate any changes as quickly as possible via this webpage.