Cultures and memories
Since 1994 we have awarded £460million to more than 24,100 community and cultural heritage projects across the UK.
What do we support?
We fund projects which help to explore, save and celebrate the traditions, customs, skills and knowledge of different communities.
This cultural heritage is sometimes referred to as intangible or living heritage. This is because it is constantly changing and kept alive when practiced or performed.
We also fund projects which document and share people’s memories. This often involves capturing oral histories and ensuring they are accessible now and in the future.
Project ideas
Our funding could help people:
- research and share oral traditions, such as storytelling or local dialects
- train others in traditional skills and crafts, from dry stone walling and blacksmithing to basket weaving and textile making
- research the origins of culture, such as music, theatre or dance, and create performances influenced by past styles
- share the history and fun of celebrations, festivals or rituals with new audiences, from games and cooking to carnivals and fayres
- capture accounts of traditional knowledge or pass it on, such as woodland management or home remedies
- record the stories of ordinary people through oral histories, for example about growing up, migration or work
- retell people’s memories about a place or event, such as a long-stay hospital, the miners' strikes or the punk movement
How to get funding
If you have an idea for a project, we would love to hear from you.
Projects
Kimjang, Making and Sharing Kimchi
The practices of a UNESCO-recognised Korean tradition were recorded and preserved for the future and celebrated with the wider community.
Projects
Malaysian Angels of the NHS
Newham Chinese Association are gathering oral histories of 20 Malaysian nurses who arrived to the UK to work for the NHS from the 1950s onwards.
Stories
Protecting the environment: ten ideas for built heritage and community projects
Projects
Memories of My Mother: Unravelling the Sari story of Manchester
This project aims to explore the migration-driven arrival of the Sari in the city's South Asian community.
Projects
Celebrating the rich heritage of North East Lincolnshire through community-led projects
A new programme will work with local organisations to share stories that celebrate the past and help shape the future.
Projects
Exploring and recording Manchester’s Roma heritage
The Roma Heritage Project will work with local people in Manchester to share traditional dishes and record oral histories from Roma communities.
Projects
Roma and Irish Travellers: A Shared Story
People from different cultures and backgrounds came together for workshops and celebration events about Roma and Irish Traveller cultural heritage organised by Armagh Roma Traveller Support.
Projects
Roma Empowerment Through Heritage
This pilot project trained volunteers including young Roma people to record heritage and ran a Roma cultural heritage festival.
News
How we’re helping to save the heritage of community traditions and ways of life
News
We’re supporting Belfast 2024’s year of culture and creativity
Blogs
How targeted support has helped Knowsley's heritage thrive
Projects
Supporting people in Knowsley to explore their heritage
The Knowsley Golden Thread project will champion inclusivity and enable groups, organisations and local communities to drive their involvement in heritage.