Community heritage

Community heritage

The interior of a 1950s hairdresser's shop. A visitor is having their hair styled by a stylist in vintage clothing. A child sits in a high chair next to the visitor.
Visiting the 1950s hairdresser at Beamish Museum. Credit: Nigel Roddis
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.

Jaded in a park

Stories

Changing lives: Jade's journey from care to college

In her 22 years, Jade has experienced more hardship than most people encounter in a lifetime. Born to a heroin addict mother, Jade spent most of her childhood in the care system. Asked about the happy times in her childhood, Jade is unequivocal: the years living with her grandma in Trimdon village.
Exhibits in a museum

Projects

Black History live

Black History Live revealed the stories of Kent’s African and Caribbean residents of the 18th and 19th centuries.

A close up of meadow plants in the sunlight
The conservation-themed activity of meadow management, for Wild Ways Well

Projects

Creating Natural Connections in Cumbernauld

The Scottish Wildlife Trust are bringing transformational change to Cumbernauld’s natural heritage, and helping local people engage with its greenspaces to improve mental health.

Hull UK City of Culture 2017 Cultural Programme

Projects

Hull UK City of Culture 2017

As holders of the UK City of Culture title in 2017, Hull received a grant of £3million to embed its rich heritage into the heart of its year-long cultural programme.

If you query is regarding our application portal, please contact our support team.