Cultures and memories
![A group of people wearing Nigerian traditional clothes, celebrating the launch of Hibiscus Rising.](/sites/default/files/styles/main_image_desktop/public/media/imgs/launch_1_hibiscus_rising_leeds2023_north.jpg.webp?itok=5fBG8Ae8)
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 which help to explore, save and celebrate the traditions, customs, skills and knowledge of different communities.
This cultural heritage is sometimes referred to as intangible or living heritage. This is because it is constantly changing and kept alive when practiced or performed.
We also fund projects which document and share people’s memories. This often involves capturing oral histories and ensuring they are accessible now and in the future.
Project ideas
Our funding could help people:
- research and share oral traditions, such as storytelling or local dialects
- train others in traditional skills and crafts, from dry stone walling and blacksmithing to basket weaving and textile making
- research the origins of culture, such as music, theatre or dance, and create performances influenced by past styles
- share the history and fun of celebrations, festivals or rituals with new audiences, from games and cooking to carnivals and fayres
- capture accounts of traditional knowledge or pass it on, such as woodland management or home remedies
- record the stories of ordinary people through oral histories, for example about growing up, migration or work
- retell people’s memories about a place or event, such as a long-stay hospital, the miners' strikes or the punk movement
How to get funding
If you have an idea for a project, we would love to hear from you.
![Behind the scenes at a film set: three actors act a scene in a living room while a camera films](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/a_light_that_never_fades_filming_behind_the_scenes.jpg.webp?itok=5By358aw)
Stories
Shining a light on Arthur Wharton: the first black professional footballer
![a memory box made during a craft activity at a mental health community centre: inside an old case is a garden scene with trees, planters and a pond, with figures and messages](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/nottingham_trent_university_middle_street_resource_centre_memory_box_credit_philip_formby.jpg.webp?itok=rxzvlyab)
Projects
The Hidden Heritage of Wellbeing in the Community: co-creating oral histories of mental health care
Nottingham’s Middle Street Resource Centre celebrated 50 years of service by recording stories from its community with researchers at Nottingham Trent University.
![Two people of Chinese heritage play a drum in a procession, while people in the background hold placards with photos of Chinese relatives](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/north_dig_where_you_stand_ancestral_futures_procession_photo_by_anh_do_3.jpg.webp?itok=m0xHr75n)
Stories
How artists can uncover hidden histories and fill gaps in the archives
![Two people smiling and sitting in camping chairs on an allotment](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/the_birmingham_allotment_project.jpg.webp?itok=q788NOno)
Projects
Wotta Lotta Culture – The Birmingham Allotment Project
This oral history project has celebrated the communities at the heart of the ‘allotment capital’ of the UK.
![A group of black people pose for a photo including a woman](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/midlands_east_plasma_of_hope.jpg.webp?itok=EUqcwtm7)
Projects
Sickle Cell Stories - Then and Now: Plasma of Hope
The Sickle Cell Stories project is capturing and sharing stories of sickle cell disease in the west midlands, paving the way for positive change.
![a large ship docked on the river in Grimsby](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/ross_tiger_vessel_at_grimsby_fishing_heritage_centre.jpg.webp?itok=IZ-szVyT)
News
£2.5million awarded to first 11 Heritage Places projects across the UK
![Two south asian people stand next to a banner with text: Club Kali Where East Meets West made possible with Heritage Fund](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/club_kali_network_where_east_meets_west_london_south_web_size.jpg.webp?itok=x9bMJ9p4)
Projects
Where East meets West: Celebrating South-Asian LGBTQ+ Heritage through Club Kali Network
We’re helping the UK’s first safe space for LGBTQ+ people of South Asian heritage to preserve and showcase their history dating back to 1995.
![A group of people posing for the camera in front of the Aspex gallery in Portsmouth](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/this_new_ground_inclusive_arts_committee.jpg.webp?itok=xDimfDFa)
Projects
Groundwork: sharing the untold stories of people with learning disabilities
This New Ground is supporting people with learning disabilities in Portsmouth to make their voices heard through oral history.
![A Pride parade on the Isle of Wight](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/isle_of_wight_pride_5._credit_hector_manchego.png.webp?itok=FPg9LMbX)
Projects
Pride In Self, Pride In Place: the NHS and LGBTQ+ culture on the Isle of Wight
StoneCrabs Theatre is gathering oral histories to uncover the role of the NHS in the Isle of Wight’s LGBTQ+ culture between 1980 and 2000.
![I Me Us Boundless project participants making a film Three young people making a film, one person is holding a microphone, another a clapperboard, and one person is waiting to be interviewed](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/20230816_113531.jpg.webp?itok=QJGX9l4p)
Projects
I Me Us Boundless: sharing stories of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in Cumbria
Through the collection of stories, this project will document the lived experiences of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in Cumbria.
![Wear it Out: The Culture and Heritage of LGBT* Dress in Sussex, 1917-2017 Outfits on display](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/queerlooks_install_heritage_fund%20credit%20Tessa%20Hallmann_0.jpg.webp?itok=7bL8pcPV)
Projects
Wear it out: The culture and heritage of LGBTQ+ dress in Sussex, 1917-2017
This cultural heritage project explored how some people from LGBTQ+ communities have historically used clothing to express identity. It focused on Sussex in the time period 1917-2017.
![The art deco facade of the Strand Arts Centre with cinema lettering reading 'Closed for refurbishment. We'll be back"](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/strand_board_900_x_536px.jpg.webp?itok=hPQKlRB9)
Projects
Strand Sequel: Redeveloping the Last Picture House
Nearly 90 years after first opening during the golden age of cinema, work is now underway to redevelop the Strand Arts Centre, Northern Ireland’s last remaining art deco picture house on east Belfast’s Holywood Road.
![Looking over salt marsh on Cleethorpes coast.](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/saltmarsh_at_cleethorpes._north_east_lincs_council.jpg.webp?itok=JSJpUJTM)
News
£10million funding milestone for North East Lincolnshire’s heritage
![A person at an archaeological dig site holds up a piece of stone which has been excavated](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/happy_namestone_copy.jpg.webp?itok=qtkBJn0W)
News
Heritage organisations to share innovative solutions to workforce challenges
![A person in historical dress stands in a street and talks to a tour group](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/01_taith_gerdded_07.jpg.webp?itok=NOzNP_OE)
Projects
Promoting the Welsh language at Hengwrt Heritage Centre
Menter Dinefwr is bringing local history to life in Llandeilo with an emphasis on the Welsh language, thanks to National Lottery players.
![A National Lottery scratchcard held in front of a large building with classical architecture and lawn](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/20220319_scratchcard.jpg.webp?itok=I0L3Z41j)
News
Sign up your project for National Lottery Open Week 2025
![A yellow building on a city street with a writing saying Glasgow Zine Library](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/gzl-building_1150.jpg.webp?itok=o_3P2POa)
Stories
Preserving the unique experiences and advice of people from the past
![Women attending Wayfinding project](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/wayfinding-project.jpg.webp?itok=FQCPOiwk)
Stories
Inclusion, access and participation: eight ways to improve your project’s reach and impact
![A group of people working around a table looking at research materials](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/the-big-up-podcast.jpg.webp?itok=UCl3UDzV)
Projects
The Big Up! Podcasts sharing social narratives that reflect diversity
The Big House Theatre Company is empowering young people to explore and tell the stories of ethnic minority people who have made a lasting impact on the UK.
![A person teaching a young child about past events and showing them an old type writer](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_body_full/public/media/imgs/Children%20learning2_Funky%20Kids_Midlands%20%26%20East_resized.jpg.webp?itok=-V7kU9KC)
Projects
Our Heritage: supporting D/deaf children in Walsall
Families of children with D/deafness or hearing impairments took part in social activities that taught them about local heritage, traditions and skills passed down through generations.