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

Life-sized statue of a woman in a small, landscaped garden

More than a cell – statue of Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951) by Helen Wilson-Roe in Royal Fort Garden, Bristol. Photo: Bhagesh Sachania Photography.

Stories

Bringing Henrietta Lacks’ story to life in Bristol

Explore how the University of Bristol is spotlighting Henrietta’s controversial contribution to medicine and inspiring future scientists.

Group of people wearing hard hats in a courtyard of historic building, Alice Billings House in Stratford

Alice Billings House. Includes Newham’s Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, Taryn Nixon and Selina Papa from the Heritage Fund, Creative Land Trust and Purcell’s team.

News

£800,000 funding awarded to support Newham’s heritage

From restoring an 1880s playhouse to creating a cycling heritage trail, projects across Newham will celebrate its diverse community heritage and create pride in place.

25/10/2023

A group of children posing for a photograph, some holding family objects

Children at a workshop held during the project.

Stories

Cocorico! Exploring the heritage in our homes

A Congolese community organisation in Swansea brought people together to learn about and share their heritage through personal items.

An adult talks to a child wearing a head scarf.

Learning Through Landscapes delivered the My School My Planet project. Photo: Simon Hadley.

Blogs

How Walsall’s heritage is thriving

Our Engagement Manager, Natalie Osborne, shares the successful heritage work of Walsall – one of our 13 Areas of Focus.

28/09/2023

An aerial view of St. Conan's Kirk in Scotland.

St. Conan's Kirk, Argyll, Scotland Photo: Andrew Prins

News

£12.2million investment to help save UK’s historic buildings

From the only thatched ice house of its kind to the oldest picture house in Northern Ireland, we have awarded 12 heritage buildings life-saving support.

26/09/2023

A group of swimmers in red swimsuits jumping out of the water at Cleveland Pools

Swimmers celebrating Cleveland Pools being open for swimming once again.

Stories

Cleveland Pools opens for swimming after 40 years

The UK's oldest open-air swimming pool has reopened, following a £9.3million restoration project that brought the site back to life.

A large group of people sitting on a roundabout all holding flags for different countries of the world

News

Applications open for One Young World Heritage Fund scholarships

In partnership with One Young World, we are offering 10 young leaders in Northern Ireland the opportunity to attend the One Young World Summit 2023.

11/09/2023

Two cambodian women giving oral history testimony

Two women giving oral history testimony.

Projects

Cambodian Recollections

Cambodian people living in the UK shared their memories of their experiences under the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime in this oral history project.

10/09/2014

Two people from the City Stories project

Participants of City Stories photography project.

Stories

Seven projects to connect communities to local heritage

Discover how stories of Leeds' diverse communities are showcased in a new series of projects commissioned as part of our £2.4million support for the city’s year of culture.

A group of six women standing side by side with raised tea cups in their hands

Projects

You, Me and Tea

Exploring Northern Ireland’s association with tea, its trade links with India and China, and bringing diverse communities together.

24/06/2019

Person taking a picture of the South African flag on a phone camera at The Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning event

People at a community event discussing The Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning.

Projects

The UK’s first centre dedicated to anti-apartheid heritage

This project will restore the former headquarters of the African National Congress at 28 Penton Street, London, creating a new centre to share the stories of South Africa's liberation.

30/11/2021

Photograph of a portrait in a museum setting

The portrait was painted by the Dutch artist Joep Nicolas in 1929.

Projects

Unveiling Literary Treasures: D H Lawrence Portrait Finds Home in Nottingham City Museums

The acquisition of a portrait of writer D H Lawrence celebrates Nottingham’s UNESCO City of Literature and opens up new avenues for engaging with diverse communities.

23/03/2022