Investing in heritage of diverse ethnic communities

Investing in heritage of diverse ethnic communities

Investing in diverse heritage
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.

Get inspiration for your project

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

A group of people who took part of the project stand together

Projects

Iranian Heritage Project

Northern Cultural Projects CIC spent a year investigating and documenting the Iranian Heritage of the North East.

Cultures CIC project exhibition
Cultures CIC project exhibition

Projects

Part of IT- Our story

Cultures CIC led a First World War project put together by the young people in the Teesside area which explored the contributions of African people and the effect of the war on the African continent.

Young people interviewing for the radio station
Young people interviewing for the radio station

Projects

Dub Plate to Dub Step

Young people researched 50 years of Caribbean music and culture in Bristol and shared their findings via radio, film and online.

Handling fabrics
Handling fabrics at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Projects

Young curators in Birmingham discovered west African textiles

Students from Birmingham universities worked with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to create an exhibition to showcase and explore the museum’s West African textile collections.

A line of people smiling
The collecting panel for Fashioning Africa

Projects

Fashioning Africa

Meaningful relationships were built with local communities and diverse experts in this Collecting Cultures project, which saw new ways of working trialled and access widened.

Young person conducting interview

Projects

I-Land Life

For Friction Arts' I-Land Life project, young people from Birmingham's Five Ways Estate discovered stories of their families' heritage and migration to Britain.

If you query is regarding our application portal, please contact our support team.