Community heritage

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.

Projects
Woking's Story: exploring local lives
Volunteers explored six centuries of history through the lives of local personalities, sharing their discoveries through the ‘Woking’s Story’ display at The Lightbox.

Projects
The Metropolitan Railway and the birth of Amersham-on-the-Hill
Metroland researched and shared the story of Amersham-on-the-Hill during the 150th anniversary of the Metropolitan Railway.

Projects
Forgotten Industries
As part of the All Our Stories programme, young people focused on the heritage of the coal and steel industry of South Yorkshire and were empowered to tell the local story of industrial decline.

Projects
International Haggis Journey
International Womens Group explored the connection between Scottish haggis and similar dishes from countries such as Syria, Iran and Egypt.

Projects
Ballintoy's Hidden History
Ballintoy's hidden heritage was uncovered through the community's exploration of the archaeology of Ballintoy village and the surrounding area.

Projects
From Spinning Tops to Football Tops
From spinning tops to football tops was a 12-week programme delivered in partnership with the grant holder Mini Millers and Rotherham United Community Sports Trust.

Projects
Pass on the Memories
Through this project, men and women in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia will be recalling and sharing their memories of working and living in Liverpool.

Projects
Treuddyn Urdd Project
The community of Treuddyn, Flintshire worked on a project celebrating the ninetieth anniversary of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, Wales' largest youth organisation.

Projects
Recording the experience of first generation Chinese immigrants in Swansea
The Swansea Chinese Community Co-op Centre led a 12-month project to explore the experiences of Chinese immigrants in Swansea and surrounding areas.

Projects
Bedford Physical Training College Stories, World War 1 and 2
Volunteers researched the history of the Bedford College of Physical Training and developed a film using archival material and interviews with former students.

Projects
Badges of Honour: How Women Changed the World
The Glasgow Women’s Library explored the stories behind the badges worn by women involved in activism.

Projects
A View from Here - Housing Heritage: Dispersal and Diaspora
Four communities researched, documented, and shared the cultural and social history of tower blocks in the city.