National Lottery Heritage Fund’s new strategy

Since the National Lottery Heritage Fund was established in 1994, we have become one of the main investors in independent museums across the UK. Our funding has enabled museums to upgrade buildings, develop their collections, engage with new audiences, and develop brilliant work with young people and community partners.

We’re enormously proud of the impact that National Lottery players’ funds have had in the sector, and we want to ensure that our investment continues to fund the very best heritage projects in future.

That’s why in March we announced the Heritage Fund’s new 10-year strategy, Heritage 2033, which clarifies our ambitions and will help us to support a huge range of projects that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage.

The centrepiece of the new strategy is the introduction of four new investment principles: Saving Heritage; Protecting the Environment; Inclusion, Access & Participation; and Organisational Sustainability. From next year, applicants for funding will be asked to show how they will deliver against these principles, as part of a new application process which will make it easier for organisations of all types and sizes to apply.

I think there are huge opportunities for the independent museum sector in this strategy. Every museum will be able to use its collection, staff, and sites to create engaging projects that reflect these principles. They offer organisations the opportunity to better manage and present their collections; to improve their buildings and engage the public with environmental issues; to increase their reach amongst new audiences and communities; and – vitally – to invest in the financial and operational sustainability of museums that have been through so much uncertainty in the last few years.

There are several other features of the new strategy that are likely to be of interest to AIM members as well, such as our commitment to prioritise restoration, conservation and reuse in construction projects, rather than new build. This will enable us to support more projects that save existing built heritage while also reducing the carbon emissions of the sector.

We will also have a higher threshold for funding. Museums and heritage organisations will now be able to apply for funding of up to £10m, replacing the current £5m limit. This recognises the impact of inflation on large scale projects, as well as the substantial impact that major projects can have. We will also continue to fund much smaller projects which often make a big difference in independent museums, including via partnerships such as our existing small grants programme with AIM, New Stories, New Audiences.

2023 is a year of transition for the Heritage Fund as we put the Heritage 2033 strategy into practice. We’ll be publishing more detail in the next few months on what it will mean for applicants and how you can put together a successful project in your museum – and we’ll be working closely with AIM to keep you up-to-date.

Alistair Brown, Head of Museums, Libraries and Archives Policy, National Lottery Heritage Fund