Museums, libraries and archives
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 £2.2bn to more than 5,600 museum, library, archive and collection-based projects across the UK.
Dynamic Collections
Our Dynamic Collections campaign supports collecting organisations across the UK to become more inclusive and resilient, with a focus on engagement, re-interpretation and collections management.
It brings together project funding through our open programmes, digital resources and knowledge sharing.
Find out more about Dynamic Collections.
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.

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
The Hold": A Suffolk Archives Service for the 21st Century"
Suffolk Archives' latest project sets to uncover and share the hidden LGBTQ+ stories from Suffolk's history.

Projects
Lady Malcolm's Servants' Balls
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.

News
Full range of National Lottery funding resumes with refocused priorities for 2021-22
News
The search is on for the 2021 Sustainable Project of the Year

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.