Inclusive heritage
![Inclusive heritage A group of female mountaineers on an expedition in the Himalayas in 1962](/sites/default/files/styles/main_image_desktop/public/media/imgs/pinnacle_club_the_jagdula_summit_team_in_1962.jpg.jpg.webp?itok=mDuu4j7Y)
What is inclusion?
Inclusion is about taking action to ensure that contemporary society in the UK is better represented in your heritage project.
We believe everyone should be able to benefit from our funding, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, faith, class or income.
"Heritage activities bring people and communities together in so many brilliant ways. We are constantly inspired by the many creative ways previously hidden histories are shared, helping us all learn more about each other and our differing personal lives, experiences and memories."
Liz Ellis, Heritage Fund Policy Project Manager for inclusion
The terms we use:
Some of the terms we use include:
- diverse ethnic communities, or ethnically diverse communities. In Scotland we use MECC (minority ethnic and cultural community). We have revised our usage of the term BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic).
- LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other identities)
We use these terms because we believe they are widely understood. Identities can be complex and intersectional, and we are also aware that for many these terms may feel inadequate or limiting. We keep the language we use constantly under review.
What we expect from projects
Inclusion, access and participation is one of four Heritage 2033 investment principles that guide our grant decision making. Every project we fund must take into account how they will support greater inclusion, diversity, access and participation in heritage.
We want to see every project taking steps to reach out to new people, to share heritage beyond their organisation, and to embed inclusive practice as far as they can.
In planning your project, ensure that everyone you work with feels a sense of welcome and belonging. Take a look at our inclusion good practice guidance for advice and ideas.
Scroll down the page to see some of the inspiring projects we have funded.
What you can expect from us
We want to make sure our funding is open and accessible to all. We have set out a plan to meet people’s access needs, from translation services to digital application support.
Heritage of diverse ethnic communities
We support all sorts of projects which explore and celebrate the heritage of diverse ethnic communities.
We also want to help the sector itself to better reflect the UK population.
Children and young people
Since 1994, we are proud to have invested over £60million across the UK in projects working with children and young people. This includes the £10m Kick the Dust programme.
Disability heritage
Disabled people are under-served in every area of the heritage sector, including people who are learning disabled, people with physical or sensory disabilities or those living with dementia or using mental health services.
We are working in partnership with disabled people to change this unfair situation.
LGBTQ+ heritage
Since 1994 we've invested over £12million across the UK in sharing stories of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other identities) heritage, creativity, activism and much more.
Heritage for wellbeing
Heritage can build connectedness to where you live, to people around you or to a community online. It can support individual confidence and self-esteem, and provide opportunities to be mentally and physically active.
Heritage can also help us find meaning and purpose in our lives. Both are significant aspects in how we experience wellbeing.
![Nottingham City Council parks A person walks on a path under trees and next to a lake in summer](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/nottingham-city-council.jpg.webp?itok=G40iS_M4)
News
Two awards for a programme putting nature at the heart of thriving urban places
Stories
Five tips for more robust and innovative heritage organisations
![An older woman and a young adult man looking at ceramics](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/hampshire_cultural_trust_allen_gallery_volunteers_staff-127-1200.jpg.webp?itok=LU74O5Ui)
News
Seventeen organisations to test innovative ways of overcoming heritage workforce challenges
![Arthur Wharton. Head and shoulders of Arthur Wharton](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/arthur-wharton-foundation.jpg.webp?itok=-N1wYS1Q)
Projects
Arthur Wharton: the world’s first black professional footballer and sprint champion
A new short film will share the story of the world’s first black professional footballer and the first official fastest man on the planet.
![A group of children posing for a photograph, some holding family objects](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/cocorico_workshop_participants_web_size.jpg.webp?itok=u8ctfGNw)
Stories
Cocorico! Exploring the heritage in our homes
![Local volunteers maintain a planter in Riverside. Photo: South Riverside Community Development Centre Volunteers tend to a planter in a residential area](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/South%20Riverside%20Community%20Development%20Centre%20volunteers%201.jpg.webp?itok=3ZQtyonE)
Projects
Breaking barriers to getting involving in greening Riverside, Cardiff
South Riverside Community Development Centre (SRCDC) involved local people in nurturing nature and protecting wildlife, building leadership skills and creating a local plan for nature.
![Putting Ourselves in the Picture is now open at Kelvingrove On the left is a framed photograph of a woman on the right there is a woman in a light brown dress looking at the picture](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/mushaka-web_size.jpg.webp?itok=TaWEpEVA)
Projects
Putting Ourselves in the Picture – preserving Scotland’s migration history
Migrant Voice is empowering migrants in Scotland to tell their stories, ensuring they are recorded, recognised, and shared with the wider community and for future generations.
Projects
Forgotten Faces of the First World War: The Chinese Labour Corps
The Meridian Society and documentary filmmaker Peng Wenlan collected oral histories for a documentary about the Chinese men who worked as labourers on the Western Front during the First World War.
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.
![A group of six women standing side by side with raised tea cups in their hands](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/ymt-1200.jpg.webp?itok=Tha9tj8V)
Projects
You, Me and Tea
Exploring Northern Ireland’s association with tea, its trade links with India and China, and bringing diverse communities together.
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.
Projects
People, Pride and Progress: recording the histories of LGBTQ+ railway workers
Through the collection of real-life stories, this project aims to spotlight the LGBTQ+ community’s contribution to the railways for the first time.