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Museums, libraries and archives

Museums, libraries and archives

A person handles large parchment documents in an archive room, with shelves of archive boxes in the background
Black Cultural Archives. Credit: Kois Miah
Museums, libraries and archives tell the stories of our cultural heritage.

Through objects, collections, film, documents and oral histories they help to give us a sense of place and identity.

Thanks to National Lottery players, since 1994 we have awarded over £2.3billion to 5,800 museum, library, archive and collection-based projects across the UK.

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:

  • create exciting new exhibition and learning spaces
  • attract more diverse audiences
  • interpret and open up acquisitions
  • develop collections

For more inspiration, see the stories below or browse projects we've funded.

How to get funding

Our National Lottery Grants for Heritage programme is open for applications.

Find out more and apply
Children in a museum
Children enjoying an exhibition at Seven Stories, Newcastle upon Tyne

Hub

Dynamic Collections

Our campaign supports collecting organisations across the UK to become more inclusive and resilient with a focus on engagement, re-interpretation and collections management.
Hands on embroidery

Projects

Touching stitches: embroidery access for the blind

This innovative project explored ways to enable blind and partially sighted people to access the Edinburgh College of Art’s historic textile collection, which spans over three centuries.

Two people sit with the National Lottery award in Hartwood Paupers Cemetery
Members of the Friends of Hartwood Paupers Cemetery with their National Lottery Award for Scotland Project of the Year.

News

Success for heritage projects in the National Lottery Awards

Leaders from three projects we’ve funded have taken home a prize this year, and there’s still more announcements to come.
A black and white group photo of about 30 people. The front row of people are using wheelchairs, with others standing on steps behind them.
A 1991 group photo of disability arts practitioners. David Hevey is standing fifth from the right in the second row.

Blogs

Sharing radical heritage demands a radical approach

Shape Arts’ passionate director, David Hevey, is taking a disruptive, digital approach to sharing disabled people’s voices with the world.
A photo taken through a keyhole of a prisoner in a cell, wearing striped black and white clothing.
The museum offers insight into the experiences of prisoners from Victorian times to the modern day. Photo: West Midlands Police Museum.

Projects

The Lock-Up: Unlocking History at West Midlands Police Museum

Our funding has enabled the museum to move into a Victorian custody block, the last of its kind in the country.

The ship SS Great Britain in its dry dock
SS Great Britain Trust jointly won the sustainability award in 2023.

News

Could you be Sustainable Project of the Year 2024?

Enter the sustainability category for the Museums + Heritage Awards to showcase your approach to managing or communicating the impact of the climate crisis.
A visitor listens through an exhibition headset in front of a display of information about faith
The Faith Museum, Bishop Auckland.

Projects

Restoring and reinterpreting Auckland Castle

This bold heritage-led regeneration project aims to create inspiring experiences and learnings on faith for visitors to County Durham.

A group of children and adults sit and stand as they pose for a photo while cutting a ribbon.
Local children joined National Galleries of Scotland for the opening of the new Scottish galleries at the National. Credit Neil Hanna

Projects

Celebrating Scotland’s Art: The Scottish National Gallery Project

10 accessible gallery spaces boasting the work of pioneering Scottish artists have transformed visitors’ experience of the national collection.