Cultures and memories
Credit: Carrie Davenport / Lyric Theatre.
These are the traditions, skills, knowledge and stories passed down to us through generations.
Since 1994 we have awarded over £510million to more than 24,600 community and cultural heritage projects across the UK.
We provide grants for heritage projects from £10,000–£10m to help preserve the cultures and memories of the UK’s different communities, from traditional practices to people’s unique perspectives on the past.
What do we support?
Intangible Cultural Heritage
We fund projects which help to save, celebrate and pass on traditions, customs, skills and knowledge.
This cultural heritage is also known as living heritage. This is because it is constantly changing to meet the needs of people and communities and kept alive when practiced or performed.
Intangible cultural heritage can include:
- crafts
- culinary practices
- nature, land and spirituality
- oral expressions
- performing arts
- social practices
- sports and games
Our good practice guidance has tips and inspiration for running intangible cultural heritage projects.
Memories
We also fund projects which document and share people’s memories and experiences, ensuring they are accessible now and in the future.
This could involve:
- running reminiscence sessions
- sharing community stories through exhibitions or films
- recording and archiving oral histories
Our oral history good practice guidance includes advice on planning and running oral history projects. It also explains how they are different from other kinds of memory-sharing projects.
Project ideas
Our funding could help people:
- train others in traditional skills and crafts, from dry stone walling and blacksmithing to basket weaving and textile making
- explore 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
- research and preserve oral traditions, such as storytelling or local dialects
- capture accounts of traditional knowledge or pass it on, such as woodland management or home remedies
- record and archive 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
Our National Lottery Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.
News
HLF South East England Committee welcomes new member
The HLF Committee for the South East is made up of leading figures in the heritage sector across the region chosen for their wide range of experience and local knowledge. Responsible for making decisions on regional applications to the Fund from £100,000 to £2million, the committee are supported by
News
Discovering Cefn Ila’s habitats, hospitals and history
A new generation of local people and visitors alike will now have the opportunity to discover the built, natural and social heritage of one of Usk’s best kept secrets; Cefn Ila. The grant has been awarded to Coed Cadw - The Woodland Trust in Wales, and will enable them to restore built elements of
News
Lottery funded youngsters meet Olympic medallist
Cardiff residents Shanice Mohammed and Sara Khallaf attended the event to share their experiences of being involved in a HLF ‘Young Roots’ project called 16 to 60: A Woman’s Voice that explored the history of women from Pakistani, Bengali, and Somali backgrounds in Butetown and Grangetown.The girls
News
North East circus group take over museum and wow Olympic medallist
The North East Circus Development Trusts’ Five Ring Circus aka Family La Bonche took over the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge and wowed the Olympic star by performing circus tricks in the museum’s galleries and a trapeze routine in the grounds. They attended the event to share their experiences of
News
The Scottish Council on Archives project secures HLF support
The project aims to improve skills and service delivery within the Scottish archives sector. Funding of £513,400 has been awarded to help the Scottish Council on Archives to provide 18 traineeships over the next three years, working in partnership with archive services across Scotland. The ‘Opening
News
Wonders of the Animal Kingdom – a new museum of zoology
This funding will support ambitious plans to completely redevelop the Museum of Zoology with displays showcasing the wonders of the animal kingdom, and new stores to preserve its outstanding collections for the future. Our vision is to create a museum that enchants its visitors and celebrates the
News
Remembering Wilfred Owen on World Poetry Day
The project will use local archives, letters from Wilfred Owen himself and oral histories to create a smartphone app to be used on the heritage trail which charts the time spent by Wilfred Owen in Dunsden. A booklet, new interpretation boards along the trail, exhibitions and an official launch event
News
HLF West Midlands welcomes new committee members
The HLF Committee for the West Midlands is made up of leading figures in the heritage sector across the region chosen for their wide range of experience and local knowledge. Responsible for making decisions on regional applications to the Fund from £100,000 to £2million, the committee are supported
News
HLF South West welcomes new committee member
The HLF Committee for the South West is made up of leading figures in the heritage sector across the region chosen for their wide range of experience and local knowledge. Responsible for making decisions on regional applications to the Fund from £100,000 to £2million, the committee are supported by
News
HLF London welcomes new chair and members to committee
As Chief Executive of the West India Committee, a Royal Charter charity; a Governor of the Museum of London and a Fellow of King’s College, London, Blondel will bring a diverse range of expertise to her new role. Two further new appointments to the committee have been named as Jenny Cousins and
News
HLF East Midlands welcomes new committee chair and member
Their appointment takes effect on 1 April and their first meeting in June 2014. The HLF Committee for the East Midlands is made up of leading figures in the heritage sector across the region chosen for their wide range of experience and local knowledge. Responsible for making decisions on regional
News
HLF East of England welcomes new committee member
Joff has extensive experience working within the arts and heritage sector delivering programmes for learners of all ages and backgrounds. He is currently ACE Bridge programme manager for Norfolk and Suffolk working to connect young people with great arts, heritage and culture. The HLF Committee for