Community heritage | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

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A group of people with handmade props and decorations

Act for Action CIC, recipients of a community heritage grant from One Knowsley. Photo: Act for Action CIC.

Celebrating community heritage can help people come together, feel pride in where they live and save stories and traditions.

Since 1994 we have awarded £460million to more than 24,100 community and cultural heritage projects across the UK.

What do we support?

We fund projects that are researching, conserving and celebrating the heritage of a community or place.

These projects could include lots of types of heritage, such as people celebrating living customs or improving a historic green space. What's most important is that the project involves and benefits the community.

Project ideas

Our funding could help people:

research the impact of a historical event on their town, and share their findings through displays, talks and online
investigate the names on a war memorial
crowdsource documents and photographs linked to the LGBTQ+ community, creating an online archive and exhibition
set up an audio trail around a range of buildings, parks and monuments in a town
enable a youth group to research their local history and create an animated film about their learnings

For more inspiration, see the stories below or browse projects we've funded.

How to get funding

If you have an idea for a project, we would love to hear from you.

Explore our available funding

People dancing as part of a cultural festival at the Birmingham Commonwealth games

Videos

Inspiration for your heritage project

Engagement Manager Debbie Cooper explores what 'heritage' can mean and shares examples of projects we've funded in the Midlands & East of England.

Andrew White, Director of Wales

Blogs

How ‘small’ grants can make a big impact for communities

Our Director of Wales marks St David’s Day by reflecting on how the wisdom of the Welsh patron saint can bring communities closer to their heritage.

01/03/2022

Women attending Wayfinding project

Supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the great outdoors.

Stories

Inclusion, access and participation: eight ways to improve your project’s reach and impact

Find out how projects we’ve funded are finding creative ways to open up heritage, involve audiences and create better opportunities to take part.

a memory box made during a craft activity at a mental health community centre: inside an old case is a garden scene with trees, planters and a pond, with figures and messages

A memory box made by people who use the community centre, recording their experience of community and wellbeing. Photo: Philip Formby.

Projects

The Hidden Heritage of Wellbeing in the Community: co-creating oral histories of mental health care

Nottingham’s Middle Street Resource Centre celebrated 50 years of service by recording stories from its community with researchers at Nottingham Trent University.

23/03/2022

A person teaching a young child about past events and showing them an old type writer

Child learning at the Black Country Living Museum. Credit: Richard Jinman

Projects

Our Heritage: supporting D/deaf children in Walsall

Families of children with D/deafness or hearing impairments took part in social activities that taught them about local heritage, traditions and skills passed down through generations.

23/01/2020

Three people are walking side by side in a pretty green landscape, they are talking and smiling

Harriet Bennett, Land Management Officer for the Chilterns Landscape Partnership project and Andrew Stubbings, of Manor Farm with Drew Bennellick, our Head of Land, Sea and Nature.

Projects

Chalk, Cherries and Chairs – Working together for the Chilterns

13/11/2024

Over five years, the Chilterns Conservation Board worked with partners to engage communities, celebrate the rich heritage of the area and enhance habitats and wildlife.

25/10/2016

two visitors are given a tour of a timber framed hall by two older gentlemen wearing long black coats at traditional hats

Two Brethren give visitors a tour of the Lord Leycester. Image: Kevin Fern.

Projects

Warwick’s Lord Leycester: 700 years of history restored

The Grade I listed Lord Leycester has been restored, refurbished and further opened up for visitors to enjoy.

11/06/2019

An artist's impression of a building with glass walls and a low wooden roof, with the words 'staffordshire history centre' on the side of the building

The extension will provide space for exhibitions and activities with storage space for 55 years of future collections. Image: Staffordshire County Council.

Projects

A new hub for sharing Staffordshire’s history

Thanks to £4.8million in National Lottery funding, Staffordshire History Centre will provide state of the art archive facilities for communities.

03/09/2019

Behind the scenes at a film set: three actors act a scene in a living room while a camera films

Behind the scenes of filming A Light That Never Fades. Photo: Paul Robinson, PER Productions.

Stories

Shining a light on Arthur Wharton: the first black professional footballer

Filmmaker Mike Tweddle discusses how a National Lottery grant is helping him share the extraordinary achievements of a black sportsman.

Three black people take part in a workshop on black history. All three people have dark skin of various shades, the focus of the image is a woman holding a magazine with black people on the cover

A Rebel Curators workshop at M Shed in October 2024. Andreann Asibey (left), Jazz Thompson (middle) and Bandele Iyapo (right). Photo: Julz Davis.

Blogs

Rebel Curators: reclaiming narratives of slavery at Bristol’s M-Shed

Co-creation with the African-Caribbean community, made possible with £70,000 in National Lottery funding, is another step towards including their perspectives in telling Bristol’s history.

28/10/2024

A cap embroidered with a Welsh dragon and the date 1910

Billy Meredith's cap from the Scotland vs Wales match in 1910. Credit: Wrexham Museum.

Projects

A Museum of Two Halves: Wrexham celebrates football and community heritage

Wrexham’s museum is bringing football heritage back to its historic home in Wales thanks to a £2.7million award.

09/06/2022

An auditorium full of people watching Wynne Evan’s Townhall Showdown

Newbridge Memo welcomed BBC Radio Wales to host Wynne Evan’s Townhall Showdown. Credit: Newbridge Memo.

Projects

Newbridge’s arts and heritage hub safeguarded for the community

This historic miners’ institute, with its 1920s Art Deco theatre, ballroom and versatile spaces now hosts a variety of activities that benefit local people.

26/03/2020

An artist kneels in front of a painted wall with an intricate pattern on a purple background

Street artist NeSpoon has created artwork on the streets of Bradford, as part of BD: Walls.

Stories

Celebrating Bradford as the City of Culture 2025

The vibrant West Yorkshire city has announced the first events to showcase its incredible heritage and culture across the district throughout 2025, thanks to National Lottery players.

A child in an apron making kimchi with the help of an adult

Making kimchi. Credit: Korean British Cultural Exchange.

News

Celebrating East and South East Asian heritage: sharing memories, stories and even kimchi

From building communities in Chinatown to memories of work and home life, these projects are preserving East and South East Asian history thanks to National Lottery players.

02/09/2024