From 8 February the National Lottery Heritage Fund has once again been accepting applications for project grants of up to £5million. 

This follows almost a year of providing emergency support only for heritage in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

National Lottery Grants for Heritage are the UK’s largest funding stream for heritage projects, with between £200million and £300million distributed most years.

In March 2020 The National Lottery Heritage Fund halted new project funding, with all efforts focussed on supporting heritage across the UK to survive and recover from the impact of the coronavirus.

Thanks to the £50million Heritage Emergency Fund, more than 950 organisations across the UK were able to cope with the challenges they faced when they needed it most.

In November, applications for projects between £3,000 to £100,000 re-opened, and from 8 February applications are once again being accepted for funding awards up to £5million.

For the financial year 2021-22, the National Lottery says there are to be new priorities for its funding decisions.

From April it will prioritise projects that:

• boost the local economy
• encourage skills development and job creation
• support wellbeing
• create better places to live, work and visit
• improve the resilience of organisations working in heritage

Encouraging a wider range of people to get involved in heritage remains mandatory for all projects the Lottery funds and all projects must demonstrate they are environmentally responsible and integrate environmental measures.

For information about how to apply for the grants, click here.