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Investing in heritage of diverse ethnic communities

Investing in heritage of diverse ethnic communities

A black adult and several children look at a display on slavery in a museum
London, Sugar and Slavery gallery at the Museum of London. Photo: Museum of London.
Heritage belongs to us all - which is why we want to help tell everyone's stories.

At The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we support all sorts of projects which explore and celebrate the heritage of diverse ethnic communities.

We want to help the sector itself to better reflect the UK population. That's why we make it mandatory that all of the projects we fund ensure a wider range of people are involved in heritage.

The terms we use

Some of the terms we use include:

  • diverse ethnic communities, or ethnically diverse communities. In Scotland we use MECC (minority ethnic and cultural community). We have revised our usage of the term BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic).
  • LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other identities)

We use these terms because we believe they are widely understood. Identities can be complex and intersectional, and we are also aware that for many these terms may feel inadequate or limiting. We keep the language we use constantly under review.

Get inspiration for your project

We want to support projects that make the stories of the UK’s four nations more inclusive of everyone’s heritage. Get inspired by the projects below and find out more about applying for our funding.

Line drawing of speech marks

Projects

Journey from Bangladesh to Birmingham

An oral history project recording the memories and experiences of people who moved from Bangladesh to Birmingham between 1940 and 1971.

Archive image of a male service personnel
Archive image from the Hadhari Oral History Project

Projects

Hadhari Oral History Project

The Hadhari project recorded memories from a local African-Caribbean care group in Derby, which were at risk of being lost forever.

An old photograph showing a car and three people in front of a house
An old family photograph from the project

Projects

How I Got Here - Journey to Fareham

The project focused on the exploration of maps and local archive material to illustrate the inter-generational journeys of people, from different cultural backgrounds and communities, who now live in Fareham.

Adult volunteers conduct oral history interviews
Adult volunteers conduct oral history interviews

Projects

Asian Traditional Games of early 20th Century (1900-1950)

The origins of traditional Indian games, the rules and how they changed after players traveled to the UK, were recorded in this intergenerational oral history project.

A menorah and wedding photograph from the Let The Elders Speak project.
A menorah and wedding photograph from the Let The Elders Speak project

Projects

Let your elders speak

This project captured the personal histories of 10 residents at Beenstock Home who had lived through the pre- and post-Holocaust periods.

Young people clapping and laughing in the sun
Beatfreeks' project, Don't Settle will encourage Birmingham's young people not to settle for half written histories, or for poor representation

News

£10million secured for projects involving more young people in heritage

Twelve projects across the UK have secured up to £1million of National Lottery funding through HLF’s pilot programme, Kick the Dust.
Crewyd y gadair gan ddwylo medrus y cerflunydd lleol Chris Williams
Crewyd y gadair gan ddwylo medrus y cerflunydd lleol Chris Williams

News

Eisteddfod festival to be welcomed by St Fagans National Museum

St Fagans National Museum of History is helping welcome thousands of visitors to Wales’s capital, Cardiff, as part of the National Eisteddfod - an important historic festival celebrating Welsh heritage and culture.
Manchester's invited to a Big Fat Asian Wedding!
Manchester's invited to a Big Fat Asian Wedding!

News

Manchester's invited to a Big Fat Asian Wedding!

Run by the charity Community on Solid Ground (COSG), the ‘Big Fat Asian Wedding’ project will introduce people all of ages, faiths and backgrounds to South Asian culture by researching the Islamic Nikah, or marriage ceremony, from the 1940s to the present day. The project aims to improve community
Stephen Barlow yn gwenu at y camera, gwisgo crys glas
Stephen Barlow, Rheolwr Datblygu CDL Cymru

Blogs

Why do we celebrate LGBT heritage?

HLF Wales Development Manager Stephen Barlow reflects on the importance of celebrating his community's heritage
Durga idols
The Durga idols

News

Communities come together to celebrate Durga Puja

Durga Puja is one of the biggest festivals in India - and now, thanks to National Lottery players, Hindu and non-Hindu communities in south Wales are working together in a £20,000 project, sharing their cultural history to create the festival’s all-important Durga idols.