Getting involved at St Fagan's Museum

Museums, libraries and archives

Museums, libraries and archives tell the stories of our cultural heritage. Through the objects, collections, film, documents and oral histories they hold they help to give us a sense of place and identity.

Thanks to National Lottery players, since 1994 we have awarded over £2.2bn to more than 5,000 museum, library, archive and collection-based projects across the UK.

We have awarded over £500,000 to more than 1,700 projects in UK archives and libraries.

What do we support?

Our funding supports institutions large and small, including:

national and local authority museums, libraries and archives
historic libraries
community archives
institutions with heritage collections

Project ideas

Our funding could help people:

revitalise buildings and provide new purpose-built facilities
create exciting new exhibition and learning spaces
refurbish specialist libraries, archives and galleries
attract more diverse audiences
interpret and open up acquisitions
develop collections

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

We have halted all new grants until at least October 2020. Organisations in need can apply for our £50m Heritage Emergency Fund. Find out more and apply.

Basic Page

Responding to coronavirus (COVID-19)

How we are helping the people and organisations working across the heritage sector. Last updated: 14 September 2020.

Bobby Friction

Blog

Museums should be like public squares - for everyone to enjoy

I have always loved learning - but museums haven't always felt welcoming to me. Many have improved, but the story's not over yet.

Museum & Heritage Awards

Photo credit: Simon Callaghan Photography

Story

Museum of Oxford wins Sustainable Project of the Year

Queering Spires exhibition honoured for its commitment to sustainability at the Museums + Heritage Awards.

Exterior view of The Box, Plymouth

Story

Heritage grant helps fund Plymouth's new cultural and heritage destination

Thanks to a £14.8million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund a major new cultural and heritage venue in Plymouth, The Box, is ready to open its doors.

An infographic showing a map of the UK and a pie chart with a breakdown of grants by heritage type

News article

Heritage Emergency Fund supports hundreds of organisations across the UK

In total, we awarded 961 grants worth £49.8million to help the heritage community support staff, cover essential maintenance and utility costs, and prepare to safely reopen. This figure represents a 77% success rate across the total applications received. Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The

Anra Kennedy

Blog

Developing digital leadership in heritage

Anra Kennedy reports back from Leading the Sector – our digital skills development course for heritage leaders.

Sadia Habib and Stephen Welsh

Dr Habib and Stephen Welsh with project participant, Urussa

Blog

South Asian Heritage Month: truth-telling and transformation

As South Asian Heritage Month ends, it’s a good time to look at how more UK museums are considering ways of deepening engagement with South Asian communities and heritage.

Alistair McNaught smiling in nature

Alistair McNaught

Blog

Making heritage websites accessible to all

When producing our new guide to online accessibility, Alistair McNaught’s research identified how heritage organisations can make their online content open to all. He tells us more.

Exterior of Ditchling Museum with sign saying 'it's good to be back'.

Story

Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft: adapting in difficult times

Now open again, Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft discovered new ways to engage communities and increase resilience during lockdown.

Matthew Mckeague, CEO of the Architectural Heritage Fund

Blog

Partners and pioneers – building back after the pandemic

Town centres are struggling – after the pandemic, innovative partnerships and investment in heritage can help them flourish again.

A woman reading a book to two children

Story

When the museums open up again

As heritage attractions are given the go-ahead to reopen, we spoke to six museums, which, thanks to National Lottery players, have been helped by our £50m Heritage Emergency Fund.

Schoolgirl looking at Dippy dinosaur

News article

Six projects chosen for Sustainable Project of the Year

Six heritage projects across the UK have been shortlisted for The National Lottery Heritage Fund's inaugural Museums + Heritage Sustainable Project of the Year Award.

Bernard Donoghue

Blog

Rejecting nostalgia for positive change

It’s fascinating that one of the TV programmes that has had the largest increases in viewers during lockdown is BBC One’s The Repair Shop.

Nat Edwards

Blog

Independent museums can shine a light after the darkness

Second in our new Future Heritage blog series – imagining the heritage sector after coronavirus (COVID-19) – Nat Edwards suggests ways museums could work together, better.