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
Out On An Island: 100 years of Isle of Wight LGBTQ+ oral histories
StoneCrabs Theatre collaborated with the community on the island’s first LGBTQ+ oral history project.
Projects
Pride In Self, Pride In Place: the NHS and LGBTQ+ culture on the Isle of Wight
StoneCrabs Theatre is gathering oral histories to uncover the role of the NHS in the Isle of Wight’s LGBTQ+ culture between 1980 and 2000.
Blogs
A year as Director of England, North: resilience and saving heritage
Projects
I Me Us Boundless: sharing stories of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in Cumbria
Through the collection of stories, this project will document the lived experiences of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in Cumbria.
Projects
Lowestoft Folk: bridging generations
This intergenerational project collaborated with two museums and their dedicated volunteers to delve into local folk heritage.
Projects
On track to tell the community’s stories of a Highland railway station
Blair Atholl station opened in 1863, as the development of rail travel opened up the Highlands to visitors and created new opportunities for local people.
Blogs
Sharing radical heritage demands a radical approach
Stories
Celebrating the music pioneer Delia Derbyshire on Doctor Who's 60th anniversary
Projects
Hibiscus Rising: celebrating cultural heritage inspired by the legacy of David Oluwale
A community engagement programme will accompany a public artwork, Hibiscus Rising, created by Yinka Shonibare CBE RA to honour David Oluwale.
Projects
Exploring the life of Delia Derbyshire and her connection to Cumbria
This project looks at electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire’s time in Gilsland and her influence on the community during the 1970s.
Projects
Delia Derbyshire Day: a celebration of an electronic music pioneer
This project is engaging young people with the unique heritage of early electronic music by marking 60 years of Doctor Who.
Projects
Deliaphonic: a symphony of heritage and creativity
The Tin Music and Arts marked the 80th anniversary year of Delia Derbyshire with a celebration in her home city of Coventry.