Museums, libraries and archives

Museums, libraries and archives

Museums, libraries and archives
Museums, libraries and archives tell the stories of our cultural heritage.

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.

William Wordsworth's home
William Wordsworth's home

Stories

Places and poems for valentines

We share three historic sites loved by some of the UK’s most romantic poets this Valentine's Day.
Exhibits charting the history of motor sport at The Silverstone Experience

Stories

25 years: The Silverstone Experience says #ThanksToYou!

In October 2019, the brand-new Silverstone Experience opened its doors to the public at the famous motor racing circuit. Housed in a former Second World War RAF hangar, and seven years in the making, it allows visitors to journey through the history of motor sport and Silverstone’s fascinating
Illuminated Biomes at the Eden Project celebrate 25 years of the National Lottery

Stories

Free offers across the UK for National Lottery players

It's to say "Thank You" for raising more than £40billion for good causes over the last 25 years. A celebration of 25 years Last night (20 November), activist and actress Lily Cole flicked the switch to illuminate the Eden Project’s Biomes, transforming them into iconic National Lottery balls. The

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