Museums, libraries and archives

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 or browse projects we've funded.
How to get funding
Our National Lottery Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

Projects
'Feeding the Nation': A Celebration of the Women's Land Army
Yorkshire Museum of Farming worked with volunteers to create an exhibition for their previously unseen Women’s Land Army Collection.

Projects
Tynemouth World War One Commemoration Project
Volunteers and local residents have gathered information on 1,700 local men from Tynemouth, all of whom died in the First World War.

Projects
K K McArthur Centenary 1912-2012
100 years on, Ballymoney celebrated the Olympic marathon victory of one of its most famous sporting sons with an exhibition, public performances and workshops.

Projects
Bournemouth in Wartime Exhibition
This project, led by Bournemouth Natural Science Society, created a temporary exhibition as part of Local History month to commemorate Bournemouth's role in the Second World War.

Projects
Exeter Cathedral Another Chapter - Chapter 2
This project focused on learning in Exeter Cathedral by creating exciting spaces for learning.

Projects
Transforming the Old Magnus Buildings into a National Civil War Centre
The project will see the conservation and restoration of the Old Magnus Buildings, and its transformation into a new museum.

Projects
Information Age, Science Museum
The Information Age gallery at the Science Museum is the first permanent gallery in the UK dedicated to the history of information and communication technologies.

Projects
Completing Kettle's Yard
An HLF grant enabled Kettle’s Yard to create greater public access and improve the care of the collection.

Projects
Ditchling Museum Development Project
The Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft used the Heritage Grants programme to fund a project to revamp its collections and premises.

Projects
Dickens Community Archive
The Portsmouth Museums and Records Service encouraged local community groups to explore their family, community and local history.

Projects
Bethlem's Museum of the Mind
This three-year project was designed to re-house the museum and archive, increasing public access to the history of mental illness.

Projects
Peterborough Museum Re-Development
The aim of this project was to refurbish and enhance the Grade II listed building of Peterborough Museum and redisplay a number of galleries.