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.

News
Double celebration for two North Wales museums thanks to the National Lottery

News
Mining Institute hits gold

News
Wales’s most popular heritage attraction turns 70

News
Getting up close and personal with Welsh history at St Fagans

News
Ballots for both: Britain celebrates centenary of women’s suffrage

Stories
Changing lives: instilling confidence in Port Talbot teens

News
Top 20 museums to visit this week - the ultimate guide

News
National Lottery funding helps mark 70th anniversary of the NHS

Blogs
Making heritage part of society’s conversations about equality

News
Young people in Wales get hands on with heritage

Blogs
Why do we celebrate LGBT heritage?

News