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.
Blogs
Eulogy - telling the stories of first generation Jamaicans
It was losing my father Hermerde in September 2017 and the funeral of one of his closest friends exactly a year later that inspired the Eulogy project.
News
UK's oldest children’s charity to tell the story of care
Coram has received a £1.26million National Lottery grant to digitise part of its archive, which dates back for nearly three centuries.
News
National Portrait Gallery awarded full grant for major redevelopment
The National Portrait Gallery has been awarded £9.4million by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a major redevelopment.
Blogs
How working internationally can boost tourism for heritage organisations
The Historic Dockyard Chatham has always worked internationally, but on a relatively small scale. We stepped this up considerably in 2017 through our project commemorating the 350th anniversary of the Medway Raid. The Medway Raid - a history It was 1667, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The Dutch
News
The skills programme breaking down barriers to working in Scotland’s museums
The Skills for Success programme, led by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, has been turning the traditional recruitment processes on its head to build a workforce that better represents communities. The programme offered work-based experience at
Blogs
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.
Stories
In conversation: Jan Pimblett and Veronica McKenzie on archives and collecting stories of LGBT+ people’s lives
The pair discussed the importance of involving a diverse range of people in their work and how crucial it is to document ordinary people's lives. They also reflected on the progress made by the LGBT+ community over the past 50 years, as well as the challenges they still face. It was an insightful
News
The first six months: our Strategic Funding Framework
2019 has been an exciting year for The National Lottery Heritage Fund. In January we changed our name and branding, and with it the way we work and distribute our grants. We now have open programmes of funding for all kinds of heritage, from £3,000 up to £5million. In June we launched the Heritage
Blogs
Young people celebrate important figures of Wales' LGBT+ history
Holly Morgan-Davies from National Museum Wales' Hands on Heritage project writes about the fascinating stories she's discovered from Wales' LGBT+ past.
Blogs
Teen Digital Takeover: getting young people into museums
Today is the Kids in Museums Teen Digital Takeover: when young people take over the social media accounts of museums, galleries and heritage sites across the UK. The 2018 Audience Agency Museums Audience Report identifies 16-24 year-olds as one of four key museum audiences. However, it also
Stories
Why working with communities can be 'transformational' for museums
Through including LGBT+ people in conversations about their heritage, one National Lottery-funded project has helped improve representation in Glasgow's museums.
News
Opening up collections: LGBT+ heritage at the V&A
Stuart Hobley, our Director of England, London & South, met with: Joseph Galliano, co-founder of charity Queer Britain, which is working to establish the UK's first national LGBT+ museum Dan Vo, LGBT+ tour co-ordinator at the V&A In the film below, Joseph explains how understanding our past helps us