Museums, libraries and archives
Museums, libraries and archives tell the stories of our cultural heritage.
Through the objects, collections, film, documents and oral histories they hold 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.
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:
- revitalise buildings and provide new purpose-built facilities
- create exciting new exhibition and learning spaces
- refurbish specialist libraries, archives and galleries
- attract more diverse audiences
- interpret and open up acquisitions
- develop collections
How to get funding
Our National Lottery Grants for Heritage programme is open for applications, with refocused priorities for 2021-22.
Stories
Meet the multiple winners of the 2020 Museum of the Year Award
This year, not one, but five museums were crowned winners of the Art Fund Museum of the Year Award.
Stories
Black History Month: mental health and wellbeing for black workers in heritage
World Mental Health Day falls on 10 October this year, during Black History Month. To mark both occasions, we spoke with a black museum employee to share their experiences within the sector.
Photo credit: Simon Callaghan Photography
Stories
Museum of Oxford wins Sustainable Project of the Year
Queering Spires exhibition honoured for its commitment to sustainability at the Museums + Heritage Awards.
Stories
Heritage grant helps fund Plymouth's new cultural and heritage destination
Thanks to a £14.8million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund a major new cultural and heritage venue in Plymouth, The Box, is ready to open its doors.
News
Heritage Emergency Fund supports hundreds of organisations across the UK
Our Heritage Emergency Fund helped more than 950 organisations across the UK to cope with the challenges of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
Dr Habib and Stephen Welsh with project participant, Urussa
Blogs
South Asian Heritage Month: truth-telling and transformation
As South Asian Heritage Month ends, it’s a good time to look at how more UK museums are considering ways of deepening engagement with South Asian communities and heritage.
Alistair McNaught
Blogs
Making heritage websites accessible to all
When producing our new guide to online accessibility, Alistair McNaught’s research identified how heritage organisations can make their online content open to all. He tells us more.
Stories
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft: adapting in difficult times
Now open again, Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft discovered new ways to engage communities and increase resilience during lockdown.
Blogs
Partners and pioneers – building back after the pandemic
Town centres are struggling – after the pandemic, innovative partnerships and investment in heritage can help them flourish again.
Stories
When the museums open up again
As heritage attractions are given the go-ahead to reopen, we spoke to six museums, which, thanks to National Lottery players, have been helped by our £50m Heritage Emergency Fund.
News
Six projects chosen for Sustainable Project of the Year
Six heritage projects across the UK have been shortlisted for The National Lottery Heritage Fund's inaugural Museums + Heritage Sustainable Project of the Year Award.
Blogs
Rejecting nostalgia for positive change
It’s fascinating that one of the TV programmes that has had the largest increases in viewers during lockdown is BBC One’s The Repair Shop.