Museums, libraries and archives

Through preservation, exhibition and community engagement, they can bring collections, places and ideas to life. They help us to understand culture, science and history, and give us a sense of place, identity and community.
Thanks to National Lottery players, since 1994 we have awarded £2.5billion to 6,000 museum, library, archive and collection-based projects across the UK. See stories from projects we've funded below.
What do we support?
We provide grants for heritage projects from £10,000–£10million for projects led by or featuring museums, libraries and archives.
Our funding supports institutions large and small, including:
- national, local authority and independent museums, libraries and archives
- historic libraries
- community archives and oral history collections
- institutions with heritage collections
Project ideas
Our funding could help people:
- create exciting new exhibition and learning spaces
- attract new and more diverse audiences
- acquire new items and develop collections
- improve organisational resilience
For more inspiration, see the stories below, browse projects we've funded, or explore our recent Dynamic Collections campaign.
How to get funding
Our National Lottery Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

News
The Arts and Culture Impact Fund calls for more applicants

News
Contribute your perspective to our new research and development project

News
National Lottery funding exceeds £1billion to tackle COVID-19 impact

Blogs
A space in the archives for LGBTQ+ heritage

Projects
Hands on Heritage
The Hands on Heritage project at Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales’ enabled young people from diverse backgrounds to have an impact on the collections.

News
£13.5million to kickstart 22 heritage projects

Projects
Re-enacting the 100-year-old Lady Malcolm's Servants' Ball
A collective of performance artists re-enacted Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball; a firm fixture of the queer scene in London almost a century ago.

Stories
Case study: Queering Spires - a history of LGBTIQA+ spaces in Oxford

News
£1.9m to help Highlands heritage

News
Last surviving D-Day landing craft opens in Portsmouth

Projects
COVID19: Museum of East Anglian Life
The open-air Museum of East Anglian Life relies on volunteers to care for its 17 historic buildings and three kilometres of woodland and nature trails.

Projects
Foyle Valley Transport and Railway Museum
Disability charity Destined Ltd are improving access to the Foyle Valley Railway Museum.