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

The pillbox at Trallwn in Pontypridd

Uncovering the Second World War pillbox in Pontypridd

News

£193,502 awarded to local heritage projects across Wales

Second World War Pontypridd pillbox and park in Britton Ferry among 24 projects receiving a 15-Minute Heritage grant.

17/12/2021

Wickham Market community holding up a banner to save The George pub.

Wickham Market's community saving The George Community Pub. Credit: Julian Evans

News

A new lease of life for Wickham Market’s community pub

A grant of £988,200 has been awarded to The George pub in Wickham Market, Suffolk ⁠– a Grade II listed building which will serve as a thriving community hub.

20/12/2021

Artwork of head and shoulders of a person in a blue jacket

Detail of artwork by Cameron Morgan

Projects

100 Portraits - a living archive of learning disability today

Artists used portraiture to capture a snapshot of the learning disabled community in Scotland during the pandemic.

26/02/2020

The South Riverside Community Development Centre

Green fingers and happy faces at the South Riverside Community Development Centre

News

£300,000 nature funding for under-served communities in Wales

Five of Wales’s most excluded and disadvantaged communities will be making the most of nature on their doorsteps thanks to ‘Local Places for Nature – Breaking Barriers’ grants.

10/12/2021

A photo of a wall painting, showing a lighthouse with the word 'hope'

A photograph from the project titled 'Hope'. Credit: Derrick Kerr

Projects

People with disabilities tell their stories through photography

A participatory photography project is supporting disabled people and those from socially deprived areas to engage with their local and national heritage.

16/03/2021

A young child watering a garden

News

£7million legacy for nature and communities for the Queen’s Jubilee

We’re investing in local nature projects and creating job opportunities for 70 young people to mark Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne.

17/11/2021

Volunteers in ‘The Wilderness’ garden

Volunteers in ‘The Wilderness’ garden. Credit: MHA

Projects

The Wilderness: Saving nature’s heritage to improve wellbeing

Despite challenges during the pandemic, The Wilderness project shows how older people’s wellbeing can be improved by actively restoring and engaging with natural heritage.

28/11/2017

Steam train with slag heaps

Ffestiniog Railway.

News

Full steam ahead for the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways

North Wales’ largest tourist attraction has secured a £3.1million National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.

15/10/2021

Battersea Arts Centre

Projects

Celebrating our Black heroes: The story of John Richard Archer- Battersea’s First Black Mayor

The Black Heroes Foundation staged a short play at Battersea Arts Centre about John Archer, the first Black Mayor of London, elected in 1913.

14/07/2021

Ros Kerslake in Leeds

News

Spotlight to shine again on Leeds’ favourite building

Victoria Hall in Leeds is to receive a £250,000 grant for restoration, helping to bring investment in the North of England's heritage to more than £1.9billion.

29/09/2021

Crowd watching aerial performance

Design visual of the Wondrous Stories production. Credit: Motionhouse and Birmingham 2022 Festival

Projects

Solicited Application for Birmingham XXII Commonwealth Games

Running from March to September 2022, the £12million festival featured hundreds of artistic commissions, engaging a local and national audience with Birmingham’s cultural heritage.

03/11/2020

Young people playing netball

Netball games with Sported charity. Credit: Sported NI

Projects

Sport in the Community: Shaping NI for 100 Years

Sported Foundation were awarded a £24,861 National Lottery grant to explore the history of sport and how it plays a part in Northern Ireland's identity.

30/07/2021