Museums, libraries and archives

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

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 £2.4billion to 5,900 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:

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 Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

Find out more and apply

Four people play musical instruments including the drums and guitar in front of memorabilia from the Punk era

Punk: Rage & Revolution takes home the England Project of the Year Award.

News

Success for heritage projects in the National Lottery Awards

Leaders from six projects we’ve funded have taken home a prize this year.

23/10/2023

A black and white group photo of about 30 people. The front row of people are using wheelchairs, with others standing on steps behind them.

A 1991 group photo of disability arts practitioners. David Hevey is standing fifth from the right in the second row.

Blogs

Sharing radical heritage demands a radical approach

Shape Arts’ passionate director, David Hevey, is taking a disruptive, digital approach to sharing disabled people’s voices with the world.

04/12/2023

A photo taken through a keyhole of a prisoner in a cell, wearing striped black and white clothing.

The museum offers insight into the experiences of prisoners from Victorian times to the modern day. Photo: West Midlands Police Museum.

Projects

The Lock-Up: Unlocking History at West Midlands Police Museum

Our funding has enabled the museum to move into a Victorian custody block, the last of its kind in the country.

27/02/2018

Three people are looking at worksheets and smiling.

Participants at the residential event in June 2023, as part of Heritage Trade Up.

Stories

Five tips for more robust and innovative heritage organisations

Hear from the organisations who took part in our Business Support and Enterprise campaign about how they improved organisational resilience in challenging times.

The ship SS Great Britain in its dry dock

SS Great Britain Trust jointly won the sustainability award in 2023.

News

Could you be Sustainable Project of the Year 2024?

The sustainability category in the Museums + Heritage Awards is a great opportunity to showcase your approach to managing or communicating the impact of the climate crisis.

01/11/2023

Esther Fox holding a metallic cross-fingers award

Videos

Esther Fox is the National Lottery Awards Heritage Winner for 2023

The award recognises her incredible support and leadership to make museums more accessible.

Three women from diverse ethnic communities are stood and smiling at the camera

Projects

Residency opportunities for women in Scotland's ethnically diverse communities

A programme of museum residencies for women will offer upskilling opportunities and improve inclusivity in the heritage sector.

25/10/2022

A visitor listens through an exhibition headset in front of a display of information about faith

The Faith Museum, Bishop Auckland.

Projects

Restoring and reinterpreting Auckland Castle

This bold heritage-led regeneration project aims to create inspiring experiences and learnings on faith for visitors to County Durham.

23/04/2013

A group of children and adults sit and stand as they pose for a photo while cutting a ribbon.

Local children joined National Galleries of Scotland for the opening of the new Scottish galleries at the National. Credit Neil Hanna

Projects

Celebrating Scotland’s Art: The Scottish National Gallery Project

10 accessible gallery spaces boasting the work of pioneering Scottish artists have transformed visitors’ experience of the national collection.

24/03/2015

The museum gallery at Land of Iron with archive objects on display

The new permanent gallery at the museum

Projects

Land of Iron: celebrating the legacy of the UK's ironstone mining heritage

The Room to Grow project has transformed the former Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum into a new and engaging space for all.

10/03/2016

An aerial view of St. Conan's Kirk in Scotland.

St. Conan's Kirk, Argyll, Scotland Photo: Andrew Prins

News

£12.2million investment to help save UK’s historic buildings

From the only thatched ice house of its kind to the oldest picture house in Northern Ireland, we have awarded 12 heritage buildings life-saving support.

26/09/2023

Person taking a picture of the South African flag on a phone camera at The Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning event

People at a community event discussing The Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning.

Projects

The UK’s first centre dedicated to anti-apartheid heritage

This project will restore the former headquarters of the African National Congress at 28 Penton Street, London, creating a new centre to share the stories of South Africa's liberation.

30/11/2021