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.

Woolly rhinoceros on display at Weston Park Museum
Woolly rhinoceros on display at Weston Park Museum. Kippa Matthews

Projects

Weston Park Museum restoration project in Sheffield

Our grants to Weston Park Museum are all about making Sheffield's impressive collection of archaeology, natural sciences, social history and visual art more accessible to the public.

Leaflets, booklets and other content created for the project
Leaflets, booklets and other content created for the project

Projects

Hidden voices: uncovering Reading's LGBT heritage

The project explored the heritage of Reading's LGBT community and created an archive of historic and recent stories to preserve them for future generations.

Ashmolean Museum

Projects

Ashmolean Plan

A new extension was added to the museum’s Grade I-listed Cockerell building, providing conservation and teaching facilities, and expanding education and outreach services.

The Lightbox, Woking
The Lightbox, Woking

Projects

Woking Museum Arts & Crafts Centre

Woking Museum Arts and Craft Centre, now known as The Lightbox, was conceived by a local community group in 1993 to establish a museum of Woking’s local and social history.

Outside view of the New Shetland Museum & Archives
Outside view of the New Shetland Museum & Archives

Projects

New Shetland Museum & Archives

Part of Lerwick’s original waterfront was transformed into an environmentally-conscious heritage attraction using sustainable materials and traditional craftsmanship.

Visitors at Kelvingrove Art Galleryand Museum

Projects

Kelvingrove New Century Project

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has undergone major refurbishment to relaunch the site as a world-class facility.

People in New Devon Record Office

Projects

New Devon Record Office

The Devon Record Office holds judicial, administrative and ecclesiastical records from 11th century to the 20th century.

Young people in First World War historical costume
The cast of the play celebrate their achievements

Projects

Working The War

A group of young people researched the personal stories of families who worked in the local torpedo factory during the First World War.

Diorama of the battle of waterloo showing different parts of the battle
Diorama of the Battle of Waterloo

Projects

Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary Exhibition

The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo gave the Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum the opportunity to rejuvenate their collection.

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