Museums, libraries and archives

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

Through preservation, exhibition and community engagement, they can bring collections, places and ideas to life. They help us to understand culture, science and history, and give us a sense of place, identity and community.

Thanks to National Lottery players, since 1994 we have awarded £2.5billion to 6,000 museum, library, archive and collection-based projects across the UK. See stories from projects we've funded below.

What do we support?

We provide grants for heritage projects from £10,000–£10million for projects led by or featuring museums, libraries and archives.

Our funding supports institutions large and small, including:

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

Project ideas

Our funding could help people:

create exciting new exhibition and learning spaces
attract new and more diverse audiences
acquire new items and develop collections
improve organisational resilience

For more inspiration, see the stories below, browse projects we've funded, or explore our recent Dynamic Collections campaign.

How to get funding

Our National Lottery Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

Find out more and apply

People wear colourful clothes and hold banners and rainbow flags at Isle of Wight Pride.

Pride celebrations on the Isle of Wight. Photo: Héctor Manchego.

Stories

LGBTQ+ heritage organisations share their advice on how to run great projects

We’re proud to be supporting projects that are saving the heritage of the LGBTQ+ community and sharing these stories to build understanding and inclusion.

A head and shoulders image of Helen Featherstone

Helen Featherstone. Photo: Roth Reed.

Blogs

A year as Director of England, North: resilience and saving heritage

Our Director of England, North Helen Featherstone reflects on her first year in the role, the needs of heritage organisations in the North and our commitment to supporting resilience.

15/02/2024

Groups of people looking at exhibits in a maritime museum

Publications

Interpretation good practice guidance

Interpretation is the way we communicate stories and ideas about heritage to different audiences. It plays a critical role in helping visitors engage with our heritage – intellectually and emotionally.

The interior of the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall, with decorative ceiling panels and gold angel statues held by wooden beams.

The Great Hall, Rochdale Town Hall. Photo: JMA Photography.

Projects

Rochdale Town Hall restored to its former glory

This project has improved the condition of one of the UK’s finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, and opened up spaces to the public for the first time.

24/04/2018

Four people play musical instruments including the drums and guitar in front of memorabilia from the Punk era

Punk: Rage & Revolution takes home the England Project of the Year Award. Credit: Alex Wilkinson Media.

News

Success for heritage projects in the National Lottery Awards

Leaders from six projects we’ve funded have taken home a prize this year.

23/10/2023

A black and white group photo of about 30 people. The front row of people are using wheelchairs, with others standing on steps behind them.

A 1991 group photo of disability arts practitioners. David Hevey is standing fifth from the right in the second row. Photo: NDACA.

Blogs

Sharing radical heritage demands a radical approach

Shape Arts’ passionate director, David Hevey, is taking a disruptive, digital approach to sharing disabled people’s voices with the world.

04/12/2023

A photo taken through a keyhole of a prisoner in a cell, wearing striped black and white clothing.

The museum offers insight into the experiences of prisoners from Victorian times to the modern day. Photo: West Midlands Police Museum.

Projects

The Lock-Up: Unlocking History at West Midlands Police Museum

Our funding has enabled the museum to move into a Victorian custody block, the last of its kind in the country.

27/02/2018

Three people are looking at worksheets and smiling.

Participants at the residential event in June 2023, as part of Heritage Trade Up. Photo: School for Social Entrepreneurs.

Stories

Five tips for more robust and innovative heritage organisations

Hear from the organisations who took part in our Business Support and Enterprise campaign about how they improved organisational resilience in challenging times.