Museums, libraries and archives

Museums, libraries and archives tell the stories of our cultural heritage.

Through objects, collections, film, documents and oral histories they help to give us a sense of place and identity.

Thanks to National Lottery players, since 1994 we have awarded £2.4billion to 5,900 museum, library, archive and collection-based projects across the UK.

What do we support?

Our funding supports institutions large and small, including:

national and local authority museums, libraries and archives
historic libraries
community archives
institutions with heritage collections

Project ideas

Our funding could help people:

create exciting new exhibition and learning spaces
attract more diverse audiences
interpret and open up acquisitions
develop collections

For more inspiration, see the stories below or browse projects we've funded.

How to get funding

Our National Lottery Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

Find out more and apply

A computerised impression of the new railway heritage building

An impression of what the new heritage railway attraction might look like. Credit: Darlington Borough Council

Projects

Stockton and Darlington Railway

A state-of-the-art visitor attraction and new community engagement scheme will celebrate this historic railway line.

02/12/2021

Outside in the stunning setting of Glencoe

News

£1.4million to transform the Highlands’ Glencoe Folk Museum

The community-run museum is set to enhance its visitor experience and bring the village of Glencoe’s unique heritage alive for current and future generations.

16/01/2023

Colourful illustration of water works building with celebration fireworks drawn by Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake's illustration of the Engine House building, the new home of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. Credit: Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.

Projects

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration

Historic waterworks are to become the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration thanks to over £3.75million in funding.

29/11/2022

People in period costumes with children in front of an old train

Tour guides at the Foyle Valley Railway and Transport Museum posing with visitors. Credit: Destined

Stories

Why you should involve people with lived experience in your heritage project

An interpretive centre run by people with learning disabilities is showcasing Derry/Londonderry’s historic railway heritage and highlighting the importance of inclusion.

The Science Museum in London had the highest score in the Heritage Access 2022 benchmark tool for online access information.

Stories

Report: museums and heritage sites need to improve online accessibility information

A research project led by charity VocalEyes is calling for organisations to create a more inclusive environment for disabled visitors online – committing to equality, inclusion and anti-ableism.

Videos

Dynamic Collections: behind the scenes at Pitt Rivers

How the historic Oxford museum "queered its collections" and changed the way it worked, forever.

Two people smiling and standing in front of a museum entrance

Heritage Fund colleagues Mwiche and Alisha at the David Livingstone Birthplace

Stories

A brave new tribute to a famous Victorian explorer

How an independent museum in Scotland is preserving and re-examining the legacy of the nation’s most renowned explorer and anti-slavery campaigner

Storm Troopers and Darth Vader surround a model of the Millennium Falcon

Millennium Falcon Exhibition

Stories

The National Lottery Awards 2022 are open! Who will you vote for?

Nominations for Project of the Year recognise outstanding National Lottery funded projects that are making a difference for people and heritage across the UK.

a group of people look at objects from a historical archive laid out on a long table

The Natural History Society of Northumbria holds over 16,000 items related to wildlife and nature in the north east of England. Photo: NHSN.

Projects

New Voices for North East Nature

The Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) are collecting and sharing new stories about how a connection with nature has helped people in times of need in the north east of England.

16/08/2022

A curator speaking to a group of museum visitors, gesturing to a sign on the wall

Jack Guy, a Curating for Change fellow, giving a tour at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery. Photo: Hydar Dewachi/Art Fund 2022.

Blogs

Diversifying workforces benefits staff, employers and heritage audiences

Esther Fox shares how even small changes can have big impacts on heritage workforces and build a more sustainable and equitable sector.

05/09/2022

News

Five ways museums can improve mental health and wellbeing

We talked to Director of charity Arts and Minds, Lucy Oliver-Harrison, about the Arts on Prescription – Heritage for Health project.

23/05/2019

Liverpool fans attending the 1978 Bruges European Cup Final. Credit: Adrien Killen

Projects

Liverpool Football Club's RED archive caravan tour

Over six years, a fan-led community organisation have created an extensive and evocative collection of Liverpool Football Club fans’ personal photos and stories.

19/05/2022