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.

Performers in servants' attire at Duckie’s Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball
Duckie’s Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball at Bishopsgate Institute. Credit: Holly Revell

Projects

Re-enacting the 100-year-old Lady Malcolm's Servants' Ball

A collective of performance artists re-enacted Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball; a firm fixture of the queer scene in London almost a century ago.

Woman with rainbow flag at Chester Pride
Chester Pride

Projects

Celebrating Cheshire's LGBT History

Body Positive has recorded and digitised the memories of the LGBT+ community in Cheshire, saving their legacy for future generations.

A man standing on one leg on a bridge

Projects

Llanfyllin ni - our Llanfyllin

This project in Mid Wales is recording the contribution made by people living with learning disabilities to their local community.

Historic photo of woman in street

Projects

Worcester Life Stories

Worcester Life Stories are building an online platform for recording and sharing local stories.

Will you spare a few minutes to share your thoughts and experiences on using our website?

Take part in the survey