Landscapes, parks and nature

Looking after nature and helping people to understand its importance has never been more vital.

Since 1994 we have awarded over £2.1billion of National Lottery and other funding to more than 4,900 land, nature and biodiversity projects across the UK.

Protecting the environment is one of our four Heritage 2033 investment principles. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.

We are prioritising landscape and nature projects that:

support nature’s recovery
deliver nature-based solutions to address climate change
reconnect people to landscapes, marine environments and nature

The climate crisis

The heritage sector has an important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change. Find out more about what we're doing to tackle the climate crisis.

What we expect from projects we fund

We want all kinds of heritage project, large and small, to:

limit any potential damage on the environment
make a positive impact on the environment and particularly for nature

Read our environmental sustainability guidance.

How to get funding

Our National Lottery Heritage Grants funding programme is open, providing grants from £10,000 up to £10million.

Explore our available funding

Find out more

Discover what projects we fund, and what you could do with our investment to help protect our natural world.

A child holds a butterfly while a guide smiles at him

We support projects that conserve and enhance habitats and protect and preserve the UK's precious species.

What we fund

We expect successful projects to show how they will address the key challenges faced by the UK's landscapes and nature.

What we fund

Public parks are facing a severe reduction in funding from local authorities. This is how we can help your parks and urban green spaces.

What we fund

The UK is world renowned for its wealth of historic designed parks, gardens and cemeteries. Here's how our funding can help look after them.

What we fund

Three people standing in a field of wild flowers, one is bending down touching the flowers

Drew Bennellick, our Head of Land, Sea and Nature, and Harriet Bennett, Land Management Officer for the Chilterns Landscape Partnership project, with Andrew Stubbings, of Manor Farm, an example of a connected landscape. Photo: Oliver Dixon.

News

£150million funding to enhance and protect the UK’s world-class landscapes

Our strategic initiative, Landscape Connections, will support long-term projects to boost nature recovery and connect more people to our most treasured landscapes.

22/07/2024

People sitting on camping chairs and on the grass in Pearson park in front of a historic bandstand

Pearson Park in Kingston upon Hull.

News

£15million to help put nature at the heart of our towns and cities

New support for local authorities and community organisations to improve access to green space within our urban neighbourhoods.

01/10/2024

Five young people stand side by side wearing t-shirts that say 'we are a force of nature'

Stories

How to attract and recruit diverse talent to your heritage organisation

Learn from the success of our partnership with Groundwork, which provided traineeships at over 80 environmental organisations for people who might not normally have access to a career in the nature sector.

A group of people some wearing high-vis jackets stand together in front of a round house made from wood with a thatch roof

Some of the team stand in front of the newly completed roundhouses. Photo: The Scottish Crannog Centre.

Stories

Case study: The Scottish Crannog Centre

The local community and natural environment are central to this sustainable museum, joint winner of Sustainable Project of the Year at the Museums + Heritage Awards 2024.

People looking at display cases in a mezzanine gallery.

Meet the Changemakers event on Manchester Museum Top Floor. Credit: Manchester Museum.

Stories

Case study: Roots and Branches

Joint winners of the Sustainable Project of the Year Award at the Museums + Heritage Awards 2024, Manchester Museum and Museum Development England, share their tips for growing a Carbon Literate museum community.

Publications

Racial equity in nature toolkit

The Heritage Fund's guide to recruiting and nurturing diverse early career talent.

A close-up of a green and brown sand lizard

Publications

Environmental sustainability good practice guidance

The Heritage Fund is committed to supporting nature recovery and environmental sustainability across all our activity. We expect the projects we fund to help protect the environment.

Parks for Health project Camden and Islington. Credit: Islington Council.

Basic Page

Future Parks Accelerator

An initiative set up to secure the future of the UK’s urban parks and green spaces.

Two young visitors explore the Florence Nightingale Museum, meeting a member of museum staff dressed as Florence in Victorian nurses attire.

Visitors at Florence Nightingale Museum, which is offering free entry as part of the week.

News

Special offers and free entry to heritage attractions this spring

National Lottery Open Week is running from Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 March 2025, with hundreds of heritage venues getting involved.

11/03/2025

A curlew on a sports field in Colne. Photo: William Titley.

Projects

Raising awareness of the Curlew and protecting its habitat in East Lancashire

27/02/2025

Walking and Talking with Landscape: The Curlew Way will host community projects educating people about the importance of the curlew to the ecosystem and what can be done to protect it.

20/01/2025

A group of representatives from different organisations involved in the River Park project gather together on the banks of the river, with a pedestrian bridge crossing behind them. To the front, two hold a Heritage Fund roundel.

A coalition of organisations, local and national, are working together on the River Park project.

News

Fife’s River Park to see £2.9million investment in people and nature

The support of National Lottery players will transform the River Leven Valley into a beautiful public space that highlights the area’s history.

10/02/2025

Two people look at an overgrown pond, one person is wearing waders

Restoring a green space in Brighton. Photo: The Wild Mind Project.

Projects

Wild Mind LGBTQ+ natural heritage wellbeing workshops

The Wild Mind Project is restoring a neglected green space in Brighton through nature programmes for the young LGBTQ+ community.

02/08/2023

Two hikers walk away down a dirt track into an open, green expanse of the Brecon Beacons, on a sunny day.

Hikers in the Brecon Beacons. Credit: Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.

News

Habitats across Wales to benefit from vital £2.7million investment

Eleven projects have received up to £250,000 Nature Networks Fund grants to protect, preserve and promote natural heritage across the nation.

21/01/2025

Looking over salt marsh on Cleethorpes coast.

Salt marsh on Cleethorpes coast. Credit: North East Lincolnshire Council.

News

£10million funding milestone for North East Lincolnshire’s heritage

Since 2019, we’ve supported over 30 projects across North East Lincolnshire with a focus on heritage-led regeneration.

09/01/2025

Natural heritage on Cleethorpes coastline. Credit: North East Lincolnshire Council.

Projects

Protecting the natural heritage of North East Lincolnshire’s coastline

The project will invest in skills and capacity to research and protect the natural salt marsh and sand dune environments of the Humber Estuary.

07/11/2024

A person at an archaeological dig site holds up a piece of stone which has been excavated

DigVentures will engage 4,000 participants to help map archaeological sites and ecological habits in the third phase of its Heritage Innovation Fund project.

News