Applications to the National Lottery Grants for Heritage programme are being welcomed once again, with those seeking 2021/22 support now having to meet at least one of the new priorities outlined by the sector’s largest funder.
Pressing priorities
When making decision on funding applications between April 2021 and March 2022, National Lottery Heritage Fund 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
It is also a requirement for every project to achieve an inclusion outcome, meaning ‘a wider range of people will be involved in heritage’ as a result of its work. Integrating environmental measures is also now a non-negotiable, reflecting Heritage Fund’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability and a ‘green’ recovery from the pandemic.
“Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, creating economic prosperity and supporting personal wellbeing. All of these are going to be vitally important as we build back from the pandemic,” states Ros Kerslake, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
“Our focus now is to support the heritage sector to strengthen its recovery and to build back for positive change – reopening applications for heritage projects is key to the success of this.”
Recognition of the unprecedented impacts of Covid-19 have also seen updates made to application guidance. Assumptions about safety measures such as social distancing should be factored in to all applications, with a “measured judgement” needed regarding the potential risks to any given project due to the pandemic.
Detailed application guidance is available for:
