Museums, libraries and archives tell the stories of our cultural heritage. Through the objects, collections, film, documents and oral histories they hold they help to give us a sense of place and identity.
Thanks to National Lottery players, since 1994 we have awarded over £2.4billion to more than 1,200 museums and galleries across the UK.
We have awarded over £500,000 to more than 1,700 projects in UK archives and libraries.
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:
- revitalise buildings and provide new purpose-built facilities
- create exciting new exhibition and learning spaces
- refurbish specialist libraries, archives and galleries
- attract more diverse audiences
- interpret and open up acquisitions
- develop collections
How to get funding
Blog
Secrets of the archives
From the unusual to the humorous, the heartfelt to the heart-wrenching, these examples demonstrate the wealth of stories held in archives around the UK. Hopefully they'll inspire you to get out and explore your own local archive! Egg-dispensing machine on Umberleigh railway station, 1972. Credit:
News article
Celebrate Heritage Treasures day with our 15 fun facts
Happy #HeritageTreasures day! In celebration, here are 15 of our favourite facts from just some of the thousands of National Lottery-funded heritage projects we’ve supported over the last 25 years.
News article
Secrets of Essex's Sculpture Town revealed in new archive
This week sees the launch of Art UK’s Sculpture Project: a free-to-access online treasure trove of all of the UK’s publicly owned sculptures.
Story
Changing lives: still waters run deep at Mary Rose Museum
Back in 1995, 28-year-old Neil Clements was near to completing a demanding course to be a Royal Navy Parachute Instructor. He was a fit young man; a self-confessed ‘adrenalin junkie’. Then in a split second his life changed for ever.
News article
Glimpse the future at V&A Dundee
A newly commissioned visualisation of the V&A Dundee gives audiences an exciting preview of what’s to come when it opens to the public in the summer of 2016.
Blog
How archives bring history to life
We’re celebrating archives this week. HLF Head of Museums, Libraries and Archives Fiona Talbott explores one of her favourites.
News article
All made up and ready to go: site of world’s first factory to be redeveloped
£12million of National Lottery money awarded to Derby Museums for the creation of the 'Museum of the Making'.
News article
Craven Museum gets £1.5million boost
The historic Yorkshire Dales town of Skipton will be breathing new life into its local museum, thanks to an award of more than £1.5million.
News article
Pum ffordd y gall amgueddfeydd wella iechyd meddwl a llesiant
Er mwyn nodi Wythnos Amgueddfeydd ac Wythnos Ymwybyddiaeth Iechyd Meddwl, buom yn siarad â'r Cyfarwyddwr elusen Arts and Minds, Lucy Oliver-Harrison, ynglŷn â’r prosiect Arts on Prescription.
Story
Sut rydym yn helpu i newid bywydau: stori Tom
Mae Tilly y ci yn helpu Tom Jenkin i daclo ei boenau meddwl. Ond cwrs ŵyna a ariannwyd gan y Loteri Genedlaethol a roddodd yr hyder iddo anelu am yrfa fel milfeddyg.
News article
Cyhoeddi’r rhestr fer ar gyfer Amgueddfa’r Flwyddyn 2019
Mae rhestr fer Amgueddfa’r Flwyddyn y Gronfa Gelf wedi’i ddatgelu. Mae pedwar o’r pum Amgueddfa sydd wedi cyrraedd y rhestr fer wedi’u hariannu gan y Loteri Genedlaethol.