Strategic Funding Framework 2019–2024

Strategic Funding Framework 2019–2024

This document sets out our vision and the principles that will guide our National Lottery investment for the next five years.

It sets out how we:

  • expect to invest around £1.2 billion in the UK’s heritage
  • will introduce a streamlined grant-making portfolio
  • increasingly focus on wellbeing, capacity-building and innovation (both nationally and internationally), amongst others
  • explore the use of social investment
  • commit to increased devolution in our decision-making

    Priorities for heritage

    Within our broad approach to heritage overall, we have identified two priority areas of focus during this five year period:

    • landscapes and nature
    • community heritage

    Mandatory outcome

    We ask that every project achieve our new inclusion outcome: "a wider range of people will be involved in heritage".

    Refocused priorities for heritage

    From the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the cost of living crisis, both heritage and the UK are facing big challenges.

    We are prioritising funding for projects that help strengthen the sector’s recovery and resilience. We want these projects to support thriving places and communities across the UK. 

    Find out more about our Priorities for National Lottery Grants for Heritage during this time. 

    Our evidence

    Our plans for 2019–2024 are grounded in a wide range of strategic research, data analysis and evaluations of the impact of past funding.

    • Strategic Funding Framework consultation report : executive summary - a survey of over 10,000 people in the UK investigated the public’s views on heritage and how it is valued; whether the views expressed in the National Lottery player research were also true of the general population; and what people thought about our proposed strategic objectives. In general, the findings from the National Lottery player research were validated and a large majority of people agreed with all six of our strategic objectives
    • Public perceptions of heritage 2018 - people from over 1,500 organisations responded to our strategic consultation, conducted online and at a UK-wide series of events. There was widespread support from stakeholders for our plans for 2019–2024, and we have made adjustments and improvements to some in the light of views expressed