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Investing in heritage of diverse ethnic communities

Investing in heritage of diverse ethnic communities

A group of people create artwork at a table covered in flowers
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 support all communities to explore and share their heritage, enriching people’s lives and increasing the diversity of heritage workforces, leadership and audiences. That's why under our Heritage 2033 investment principles inclusion, access and participation must be part of every project we fund.

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)
  • Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. This describes a range of ethnic groups or people with nomadic ways of life who are not from a specific ethnicity.

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.

East and South East Asian Heritage Month

During September we're celebrating East and South East Asian heritage. Below, we highlight projects that explore the UK's links to the world and celebrate the cultures and stories of communities rooted in east and south-east Asia.

Get inspiration for your project

Explore the projects below and find out more about applying for our funding.

Two people of Chinese heritage play a drum in a procession, while people in the background hold placards with photos of Chinese relatives
Ancestral Futures by Eelyn Lee and collaborators, commissioned by Dig Where You Stand. Photo: Anh Do.

Stories

How artists can uncover hidden histories and fill gaps in the archives

South Yorkshire project Dig Where You Stand invited creatives to explore the often overlooked and poorly documented evidence of people from diverse ethnic communities across the area's history.
Domingas Gusmão poses beside a table displaying a bouquet of flowers
The project is capturing the stories of women like Domingas Gusmão, who moved to Dungannon from East Timor. Credit: First Steps Women's Centre.

Projects

Honouring women’s migration stories

First Steps Women’s Centre is recording the experiences of migrant women who have made Mid Ulster their home.

An event at Newham Chinese Association
An event at Newham Chinese Association. Photo: Newham Chinese Association.

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.

Two cambodian women giving oral history testimony
Two women giving oral history testimony. Photo: SEA Arts.

Projects

Cambodian Recollections

Cambodian people living in the UK shared their memories of their experiences under the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime in this oral history project.

A child being shown how to make kimchi

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.

people sit in front of a wall of sticky notes responding to the prompt 'What do museums mean to us?'
The project involved a cross-section of the public; many had not been to a museum in some time. Credit: Birmingham Museums Trust.

Projects

How the Citizens’ Jury shaped the future of Birmingham Museums Trust

28 local people from many different walks of life shared what they want from their museums, and how these institutions can better serve local communities.

An artist’s impression of an exhibition space in a former synagogue with a balcony and stained-glass windows
Once complete, the centre will host exhibitions and events on Jewish life in Wales. Credit: Neil Richardson, Welsh Jewish Cultural Centre.

Projects

Establishing Wales’ first Jewish cultural centre

An abandoned synagogue in Merthyr Tydfil will open its doors for the first time in two decades as a new hub for Welsh Jewish heritage.

The exterior of a red brick former synagogue at sunrise
ARK is bringing life back into the former synagogue. Credit: Nathan Jones.

Stories

A Margate building’s journey from synagogue to art centre

Jan Ryan, Director of ARK Cliftonville, shares how the cultural space, based in a former place of worship, is getting the balance right between preserving and celebrating the building's Jewish cultural heritage and adapting it for new uses.
Four people smile and take a selfie.
The project will open up iniva's archive to the public. Credit: Francis Augusto / iniva.

Projects

Living Legacies: collaboration, community and radicality

Institute of International Visual Arts (iniva) is running a four-year project to transform public access to its renowned archive sharing the heritage of ethnically diverse communities.

A stilt walker in an elaborate gold and blue costume with a flowing robe. Behind them other stilt walkers in a range of multi-coloured costumes
Moko Jumbe Stilt Walkers at the Edinburgh Festival Carnival.

Projects

Youth ambassadors champion Edinburgh's carnival heritage

Young people are at the heart of this two-year project to document, celebrate and safeguard the cultural heritage of Edinburgh’s ethnically diverse communities.

Twimukye Mushaka smiles whilst looking at a portrait of herself on display.
A portrait of Twimukye Mushaka, by photographer Karen Gordon, featured in the project's exhibition highlighting migrant stories in Scotland.

Stories

Grantee Q&A: building a platform for a community's heritage

Nazek Ramadan from Migrant Voice shares her reflections and advice on the different stages of their project’s journey – from the challenges of the application process to the joys of providing amazing opportunities for their community.
Diversity Music Community 1st perform on stage.
Diversity Music Community 1st at Wolverhampton Arts Centre. Credit: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images for The National Lottery Good Causes.

Projects

Preserving stories of music and culture from the Windrush generation

This project will explore the impact of the Caribbean community who helped to shape Wolverhampton’s cultural identity between the 1950s–1980s.

Donald Campbell and two of his fellow veterans stand together in front of a decommissioned RAF plane.
RAF veterans (L-R) Bryan Hughes-Scott, Donald Campbell and John Winston Clarke gather to share their testimony at RAF Museum Cosford.

Projects

Sharing the stories of the RAF’s black servicemen and women

A community-led project is combining digital and in-person strategies for sharing the experiences of British African and Caribbean RAF veterans in the West Midlands.

Two people bending down to look at a museum display about Duleep Singh
Visitors viewing the museum's new displays on Duleep Singh and his family. Credit: Norfolk Museums Service (Ancient House).

Stories

Celebrating a Norfolk museum’s Punjabi roots

Through community consultation and academic partnerships Thetford’s Ancient House is digging deeper into the history of its founding family.

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