Museums, libraries and archives | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

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A person handles large parchment documents in an archive room, with shelves of archive boxes in the background

Black Cultural Archives. Credit: Kois Miah

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. See stories from projects we've funded below.

We provide grants for heritage projects from £10,000–£10million to ensure that heritage is valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.

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 collage of heritage types

News

Contribute your perspective to our new research and development project

Join The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Young Foundation to explore the question: how can innovation help us do the best we can for the future of heritage?

01/04/2021

A puffin by the coastline

News

National Lottery funding exceeds £1billion to tackle COVID-19 impact

The National Lottery has awarded £1.2billion to support people and projects throughout the UK to cope with the challenges of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

09/03/2021

Dr Alan Butler

Blogs

A space in the archives for LGBTQ+ heritage

Dr Alan Butler tells us how the Plymouth LGBT+ Archive has captured important stories and continues to evolve as an active part of the community.

23/02/2021

A national Welsh flag with rainbow background.

A Welsh flag with rainbow background from the Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales collection

Projects

Hands on Heritage

The Hands on Heritage project at Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales’ enabled young people from diverse backgrounds to have an impact on the collections.

28/06/2017

An aerial view of the crescent-shaped Cleveland Pools. A Georgian lido in Bath

The Georgian-era Cleveland Pools in Bath.

News

£13.5million to kickstart 22 heritage projects

The grants, awarded through our Heritage Capital Kickstart Fund, will help revive heritage sites impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19).

19/02/2021

Performers in servants' attire at Duckie’s Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball

Duckie’s Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball at Bishopsgate Institute. Credit: Holly Revell

Projects

Re-enacting the 100-year-old Lady Malcolm's Servants' Ball

A collective of performance artists re-enacted Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball; a firm fixture of the queer scene in London almost a century ago.

10/12/2014

Museum of Oxford's Queering Spires exhibiton. Display post it notes with comments and memories from visitors.

Stories

Case study: Queering Spires - a history of LGBTIQA+ spaces in Oxford

The organisation The Museum of Oxford is dedicated to telling the story of Oxford and its people. The project The temporary exhibition, Queering Spires aimed to tell the untold stories of hidden queer spaces in the city of Oxford. The local authority-run museum wanted to focus on the principles of a

Visitors having picnics outside of Braemar Castle

News

£1.9m to help Highlands heritage

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested £1.9million to support the development of three spectacular Scottish heritage sites.

14/01/2021

Landing Craft Tank LCT 7074 in its new location in Portsmouth

News

Last surviving D-Day landing craft opens in Portsmouth

Six-year project to restore ship and open it up to the public is completed thanks to £4.7million National Lottery support.

12/12/2020

Four people tending to garden bed

Projects

COVID19: Museum of East Anglian Life

The open-air Museum of East Anglian Life relies on volunteers to care for its 17 historic buildings and three kilometres of woodland and nature trails.

10/08/2020

Person getting costume fitted

Martha having a costume fitting

Projects

Foyle Valley Transport and Railway Museum

Disability charity Destined Ltd are improving access to the Foyle Valley Railway Museum.

03/03/2020

Young girl interacting with a dragon puppet during a PAMIS story telling session

Projects

Improving access to museum heritage for people with learning disabilities

The stories behind exhibits at four of Scotland’s leading heritage attractions are being brought to life for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

17/12/2018