The UK directions apply to all funding made by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. We report on our progress against the policy directions annually, via our Annual Report and Accounts which is published on the UK government website. The policy directions apply to National Lottery funds and not grant in aid. The National Heritage Act dictates what we can and cannot do with grant in aid.

The policy directions for England are set by the Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). Devolved directions additionally apply. Ministers in the devolved nations use their powers to give additional directions to The National Lottery Heritage Fund. There are policy directions for Scotland and Wales. You can view and download all policy directions from this page.

The Northern Ireland policy directions have been absent for several years, due to the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly from 2017 to 2020. This was further delayed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Draft Northern Ireland policy directions went out to public consultation in February 2022 which closed in April. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is considering the responses before going back to the Department for Communities in September, where it will then need the Northern Ireland Executive's approval. It is uncertain when exactly this might happen given the Northern Ireland Executive is not functioning at present.