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

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.

Esther Fox holding a metallic cross-fingers award

Videos

Esther Fox is the National Lottery Awards Heritage Winner for 2023

The award recognises her incredible support and leadership to make museums more accessible.

Three women from diverse ethnic communities are stood and smiling at the camera

Projects

Residency opportunities for women in Scotland's ethnically diverse communities

A programme of museum residencies for women will offer upskilling opportunities and improve inclusivity in the heritage sector.

25/10/2022

A visitor listens through an exhibition headset in front of a display of information about faith

The Faith Museum, Bishop Auckland.

Projects

Restoring and reinterpreting Auckland Castle

This bold heritage-led regeneration project aims to create inspiring experiences and learnings on faith for visitors to County Durham.

23/04/2013

A group of children and adults sit and stand as they pose for a photo while cutting a ribbon.

Local children joined National Galleries of Scotland for the opening of the new Scottish galleries at the National. Credit Neil Hanna

Projects

Celebrating Scotland’s Art: The Scottish National Gallery Project

10 accessible gallery spaces boasting the work of pioneering Scottish artists have transformed visitors’ experience of the national collection.

24/03/2015

The museum gallery at Land of Iron with archive objects on display

The new permanent gallery at the museum Photo: Land of Iron.

Projects

Land of Iron: celebrating the legacy of the UK's ironstone mining heritage

The Room to Grow project has transformed the former Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum into a new and engaging space for all.

10/03/2016

An aerial view of St. Conan's Kirk in Scotland.

St. Conan's Kirk, Argyll, Scotland Photo: Andrew Prins

News

£12.2million investment to help save UK’s historic buildings

From the only thatched ice house of its kind to the oldest picture house in Northern Ireland, we have awarded 12 heritage buildings life-saving support.

26/09/2023

Person taking a picture of the South African flag on a phone camera at The Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning event

People at a community event discussing The Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning. Courtesy of The Liliesleaf Trust UK.

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.

30/11/2021

Photograph of a portrait in a museum setting

The portrait was painted by the Dutch artist Joep Nicolas in 1929. Photo: Nottingham City Council

Projects

Unveiling Literary Treasures: D H Lawrence Portrait Finds Home in Nottingham City Museums

The acquisition of a portrait of writer D H Lawrence celebrates Nottingham’s UNESCO City of Literature and opens up new avenues for engaging with diverse communities.

23/03/2022