With the publication last month of our first three-year delivery plan, we’re moving closer to bringing our ambitious Heritage 2033 strategy to life and supporting projects of all sizes that connect people and communities to UK heritage.

From January next year, applications through our open programmes, National Lottery Grants for Heritage, will be centred around our simplified framework of four investment principles: saving heritage, protecting the environment, inclusion, access and participation, and organisational sustainability.

We want to keep supporting your vital work to protect, share and celebrate the places, collections, traditions and stories that make up the UK’s diverse and fascinating heritage.

Our investment approach

We’ve taken on board what you’ve told us through our strategy survey and public outreach, our EDI research and our regular website user surveys. We’re working on new guidance and forms that will make your application experience simpler and clearer and more proportionate to the amount of money you’re applying for.

Our investment principles will guide our decision making. We will ask applicants to take these into account in their applications, but the strength of focus and emphasis on each principle will be for you to demonstrate. This will allow us to identify strengths and potential. We believe it will also lead to more creative and sustainable projects that are rooted in communities. We’ll share further information and guidance as we develop these new processes. 

At the heart of Heritage 2033 is our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone’s future. Over the next three years, we’re planning to invest over £1billion. To do that, we need you to continue developing projects so we can get funding to you and deliver that vision together.

During this transition period, we are keeping disruption to a minimum, but there will be a short pause in applications for some of our open programmes from November. However, we know the needs of the heritage sector are great and funding is vital, so please do continue to develop and submit your project ideas during the transition and speak to us if you have any concerns.

Here for you

While we’re busy behind the scenes getting ready for launching our new funding processes, we know that many of you who work with and care for the UK’s heritage are busy just keeping going in what remains a challenging environment.

We want to keep supporting your vital work to protect, share and celebrate the places, collections, traditions and stories that make up the UK’s diverse and fascinating heritage.

We can do that through our open programme project grants – and if you’re ready to submit an application now, please don’t wait until January, as we can support you through the transition period. 

We also continue to offer support via our resilience and recovery offer, and since last August, we’ve awarded £41.6million to help strengthen heritage organisations. Over the past 12 months we’ve also awarded £33.5m in grant increases to help heritage projects keep on track amid rising inflation and operating costs. Again, get in touch if you have any questions about the funding we can offer.

We will do everything we can to support those of you who need it now, and throughout the life of our Heritage 2033 strategy. Organisational sustainability is one of the four investment principles which will underpin our investment decisions, and we’re committed to being flexible and responding to crises through our strategic initiatives.