Cultures and memories
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.
Projects
2010 - One Hundred Years of The Empire Theatre at Ewood, Blackburn
The Empire Cinema in Blackburn was one of the first purpose-built cinemas in the UK.
Projects
I-Land Life
For Friction Arts' I-Land Life project, young people from Birmingham's Five Ways Estate discovered stories of their families' heritage and migration to Britain.
Projects
From Tips to Technology
A group of young disabled people explored the heritage of South Wales to develop a sense of their identity.
Projects
Cricket Roots
Young people explored cultural diversity through sport, composing a song and creating an exhibition inspired by the lives of overseas players at Kent County Cricket Club.
Projects
1947 The Partition Project
Young people interviewed older British Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs about their experiences of the Partition of India and created an exhibition and workshops for schools and community groups.
Projects
Young Muslim Aberdeen
A group of local young Muslims explored how their heritage is archived in two major city museums, in a project run by Young Muslim Aberdeen.
Projects
From Me to You' - Taking Stobswell Down Memory Lane...
Inspired by the history of a local park, a youth group researched the heritage of their area and shared this with the wider community.
Projects
The Radstock Museum oral history video archive project
Radstock Museum led an oral history project to identify and record the memories and experiences of former miners who worked in North Somerset coalfield.
Projects
A Miller's Tale: Football, Community and Remembrance in Central London during the Great War
Young people from schools in Fulham used archives to discover how the First World War impacted on their area, creating an exhibition, an animation and a drama piece.
Projects
Closing the gap - turning theory into practical application
An HLF Skills for the Future grant enabled the CBA to offer year-long workplace learning bursaries.
Projects
ESAMP Heritage traineeships
This HLF-supported project took on seven trainees in 2011 for 12 months of work-based training focusing on heritage building skills and historic landscape management.
Projects
Marine heritage skills for placements
The Marine Graduate Training Programme provided work-based training in marine conservation and community engagement for recent university graduates.