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, 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.

Projects
Revitalising The Harris for the audiences of today
Our support has enabled Preston’s leading museum to deliver essential repairs, transform its visitor facilities and plan for a bright future.

Projects
Rare Barbara Hepworth sculpture saved for the UK
Thanks to our support and a successful public appeal, The Hepworth Wakefield has acquired a rare work by the artist, secured for the public to enjoy in her hometown.

Projects
Creating space: rationalising Preston Park Museum
Our support has helped Stockton’s local museum declutter its collection and involve the community in decision making about its future.

Stories
Celebrating a Norfolk museum’s Punjabi roots

Projects
How collaboration helped Belfast Archive Project reach new audiences
Through working with national partners, a team of dedicated volunteers has unearthed remarkable photographic treasures documenting the history of Northern Ireland.

Projects
How oral histories can capture sporting heritage and bring communities together
Talking to the people of Leeds about their shared love of everything from football to table tennis has made a vital contribution to the city’s collections.

Hub
Dynamic Collections

Projects
What's in Store? Opening up Newton Abbot Museum's collection
Our support will help create a new accessible collections store, marking an exciting new chapter for Newton Abbot’s museum.

News
Seven projects bringing city-wide heritage investment for Derry/Londonderry

Projects
Queer Heritage South: Live Archive Brighton & Hove
The project will build a digital archive and bring to life stories from the LGBTQ+ community.

Projects
DNA Museum to celebrate North West’s rich heritage
A new museum that will explore the history and culture of Derry/Londonderry and its connection to the North Atlantic is now under construction.

Blogs
How our new acquisitions approach is saving exceptional heritage at risk

Stories
Case study: Stourbridge Glass Museum’s award-winning environmentally friendly approach

Projects
The Gardeners' House: connecting people with nature
A new green community heritage hub has opened in Penzance, housing 200 years of Cornwall’s natural heritage and a sensory garden.

News
Putting inclusion, access and participation at the heart of the National Science and Media Museum

Projects
Unlocking the living gateway to Wales' slate story
Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru, The National Slate Museum, in Llanberis is being transformed through a £12million grant, securing its future at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage slate landscape.

Projects
Rare self-portrait by William Dobson saved for the UK
With our support, Tate and the National Portrait Gallery have jointly acquired the earliest known work of one of the first great British painters.

News
Winners announced for Sustainable Project of the Year 2025

News