Lottery funding

Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From museums and historic buildings to parks and nature reserves to celebrating traditions, customs and history, the HLF has awarded over £4 billion to projects that open up our nation's heritage for everyone to enjoy.

Retired pilots at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford

Type of work funded

The Heritage Lottery Fund helps groups and organisations of all sizes with projects that aim to: 

• conserve and enhance the UK's diverse heritage
• encourage more people to be involved in, and make decisions about, their heritage
• make sure that everyone can learn about, have access to and enjoy their heritage.

Range of grant size: minimum – maximum

Heritage Lottery Fund operates a number of grant schemes with differing grant amount thresholds. The lowest amount available is £5,000. Grants in excess of £1million are also available. 

Types of scheme (open / closed / targeted)

Heritage Lottery Fund offers a combination of general grants programmes, together with initiatives targeted at particular areas of heritage or themes.  Call us for more information.  

Geographical coverage

We can award grants throughout the UK (except the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man). 

We have 11 offices throughout the UK including offices in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Priority areas and key messages (for example, partnership funding)

The aims of the Heritage Lottery Fund are: 

• to encourage more people to be involved in and make decisions about their heritage
• to conserve and enhance the UK’s diverse heritage
• to ensure that everyone can learn about, have access to and enjoy their heritage.

Our fourth aim is to achieve a more equitable distribution of grants across the UK. 

Each region also has its own priority areas, which aims to meet not only the national aims of Heritage Lottery Fund but also the particular needs of each region. 

Depending on the amount of grant requested and the grant programme applied to, applicants may have to supply partnership funding with their application. 

For grants up to £50,000 applicants can provide whatever they are able to (in cash or in kind). For larger grants between £50,000 and £1million we need you to provide at least 10 per cent of the project costs. For grants of £1million or more, at least 25 per cent of project costs are required. Contact us for more information. 

Application process (formal deadlines)

Most grants programmes are open and you can apply at any time. However, some have deadlines and depending on the amount of money you want, assessment times will differ. Grants of between £5,000 and £50,000 take at least three months to assess.  Grant requests of more than £1million must go through a two-stage assessment process. 

All applications must be made by a not-for-profit organisation.  

You will need to send supporting information with the application.  

Central contact details

Our enquiries number is: 020 7591 6042. 

Case Studies

Sugar and slavery
Shetland place names project
Trees of our future

For more information visit the website:

www.hlf.org.uk