Museums, libraries and archives

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 £2.4billion to 5,900 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 Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

Find out more and apply

A black and white image of children playing in an industrial area.

A photograph from the AmberSide Collection.

Projects

Transforming Amber: Building a Resilient Future

This project will safeguard an industrial heritage archive by developing new ways for the Amber Film & Photography Collective to become financially sustainable.

25/04/2024

the courtyard of the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, north Wales, with stone factory buildings surrounding a courtyard with industrial equipment for processing slate, and the slate mine visible in the background

Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru – National Slate Museum originally opened in 1972. Photo: Aled Llywelyn.

Projects

Unearthing the legacy of Welsh Slate at Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru – National Slate Museum

The museum will be transformed into a world-class visitor attraction at the heart of the Wales Slate Landscape in north west Wales.

27/03/2024

Young children are sat on colourful seating inside the museum, while others are stood on the stairs in the background

Families exploring the new museum.

Projects

It's showtime: Blackpool's first museum celebrates the town’s rich entertainment heritage

The brand-new museum Showtown leads the way in the cultural regeneration of the UK’s first mass seaside resort.

20/03/2018

Museums and Heritage sign at the awards ceremony

News

Six organisations shortlisted for Sustainable Project of the Year 2024

The Museums + Heritage Awards have announced the shortlist for the sustainability category. Discover how these projects are demonstrating best practice.

14/03/2024

Two people wearing Reimagine, Remake, Replay tshirts using filming equipment at an event

Reimagine, Remake, Replay is a Kick the Dust programme that ran in Northern Ireland.

Blogs

Techniques for supporting young people's wellbeing during heritage projects

How Kick the Dust projects worked to create high quality environments for participants.

05/03/2024

A family look at a bird nesting box display

RSPB Belfast Window on Wildlife is offering free entry.

News

Hundreds of special heritage offers across the UK this spring

National Lottery Open Week is back, taking place from Saturday 9 to Sunday 17 March.

27/02/2024

People wear colourful clothes and hold banners and rainbow flags at Isle of Wight Pride.

Pride celebrations on the Isle of Wight.

Stories

LGBTQ+ heritage organisations share their advice on how to run great projects

We’re proud to be supporting projects that are saving the heritage of the LGBTQ+ community and sharing these stories to build understanding and inclusion.

Helen Featherstone.

Blogs

A year as Director of England, North: resilience and saving heritage

Our Director of England, North Helen Featherstone reflects on her first year in the role, the needs of heritage organisations in the North and our commitment to supporting resilience.

15/02/2024

Three young people making a film, one person is holding a microphone, another a clapperboard, and one person is waiting to be interviewed

Young people making a film as part of the I Me Us Boundless project.

Projects

I Me Us Boundless: sharing stories of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in Cumbria

Through the collection of stories, this project will document the lived experiences of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in Cumbria.

12/01/2023

Leaders of the project pose for a group photo

From left to right: Scott Cuthbertson, Director of The Rainbow Project, Mukesh Sharma, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland NI Committee Chair, Cara McCann, Director of HERe NI and Adam Murray, Community Development Manager at Cara-Friend.

Projects

Creating Northern Ireland’s LGBTQ+ heritage archive

A collaborative effort will record and share Northern Ireland’s modern LGBTQ+ history.

06/09/2022

Groups of people looking at exhibits in a maritime museum

Publications

Interpretation good practice guidance

Interpretation is the way we communicate stories and ideas about heritage to different audiences. It plays a critical role in helping visitors engage with our heritage – intellectually and emotionally.

The interior of the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall, with decorative ceiling panels and gold angel statues held by wooden beams.

The Great Hall, Rochdale Town Hall.

Projects

Rochdale Town Hall restored to its former glory

This project has improved the condition of one of the UK’s finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, and opened up spaces to the public for the first time.

24/04/2018