Community heritage

Community heritage

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.

A man cycling on a bridge with the Harland and Wolff cranes visible in the background

Projects

CHFNI: Routes and Roots

A new cycling trail will connect Belfast’s communities and tell the story of the city’s industrial and maritime past.

Professor Uzo Iwobi stood outside

Stories

Celebrating a heritage hero, Uzo Iwobi OBE

Page last updated: 13 July 2022 Swansea resident Uzo Iwobi has provided an outstanding contribution to heritage in her 30 years living in Wales. Among her many achievements, Uzo founded two charities: Race Council Cymru and the African Community Centre. She is the Specialists Advisor for Equality to
A group of people in a community space

Projects

LGBTQ+ history in Llanelli

Llanelli LGBTQ+ Support have held events and activities to recognise and share the rich heritage of the town's LGBT+ community.

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