Places of worship

Thanks to National Lottery players, since 1995 we have invested more than £970million in places of worship across the UK.
Our funding has helped to conserve and restore buildings so that they can be enjoyed by the wider community. With our support, thousands of people of all faiths have brought the heritage of their place of worship to life.
In Scotland, we continue to work in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland to deliver funding for places of worship.
What do we support?
The places of worship we support help local and wider communities to engage with heritage. We fund:
- activities that connect people with heritage
OR
- activities that connect people with heritage and include some capital repair works to historic fabric
The historic fabric of a building is the original or historically significant building materials or construction.
What we expect from projects we fund
Through the breadth of our funding, we want to help places of worship become more resilient and their buildings genuinely sustainable. See our organisational resilience good practice guidance for more details.
Partnerships
We want to see places of worship working in partnership with other local organisations so they can build their capacity, embed their projects in the local community and deliver more long-term impacts.
We like to see faith groups working with non-faith groups. This can strengthen the faith group by bringing extra skills and capacity to the project, and ensure the project is owned and valued by the whole community. These new partnerships can have long-lasting benefits for the place of worship.
Activities
When you make an enquiry to us, please tell us about the heritage engagement activities and audiences you want to target. Also tell us if there is anything special or unusual about the construction of the building.
We expect the cost of running the activities to be included in the budget as a key part of your request for funding.
Repairs
We do not fund projects that are solely for repairs or alterations to historic fabric.
What sort of project might we fund?
- exploring the building and bringing it to life through new interpretation, alongside necessary repair works
- running heritage learning activities and community events, and creating space for them by carrying out minor alterations to the fabric
- exploring, conserving and interpreting the biodiversity of external spaces including graveyards and cemeteries
- providing better access to heritage by digital means
- community events to involve people in recording the removal, repair and reinstallation of bells, organs, hatchments and benefactor boards, alongside the repairs
- opportunities for people to learn about the art in places of worship, alongside a programme of conservation, such as stained glass, memorials and monuments, wall paintings, statues, historic fixtures or graffiti
- discovery, conservation and learning about the creatures that live in the building, such as bats or birds of prey
- activities to help your group manage heritage more effectively, such as researching existing and new audiences, or trying new approaches to fundraising or income generation
How to get funding
Each of our funding programmes has detailed guidance and further resources to help you apply. Find out whether you are eligible for funding.
You might also want to explore the Listed Places of Worship grants scheme.

News
£5.5million awarded to conserve cathedrals and churches across the UK

Publications
Grants for Places of Worship programme evaluation

News
The changemaker churches supporting their local communities

Projects
Harvesting heritage at Stoke Lacy Parish Church
New partnerships have helped the Herefordshire church repair its tower, bolster local wildlife and share its heritage with more people.

Videos
What do we mean by heritage?
Programme
National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £3,000 to £10,000
Programme
National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £10,000 to £250,000
Programme
National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £250,000 to £5million
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Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage – Emergency Resource Support
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The Culture Recovery Fund’s £15.5million festive boost for heritage
Programme
Covid Recovery Programme for Heritage Organisations (Northern Ireland)

News
Help us shape the future of heritage funding and strategy
Stories
Could you be the Sustainable Project of the Year 2022?
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£6.5million for heritage projects in Staffordshire, Peterborough and Dudley
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Our new report uncovers impact of COVID-19 crisis on heritage
News
Brush up your business skills and strengthen resilience
Projects
A renewed Churchyard for Newchurch; volunteers restoring, reclaiming and revitalising common ground
The community have come together to revitalise a historic churchyard in Rossendale, Lancashire and boost local wildlife.