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Further in the article, we will elaborate on Lottery Heritage and the major initiatives they undertake. You will read about the related National Lottery funds and what are the Heritage Lottery funded projects. We have mentioned some interesting facts along the way. Read on and see how they get the funding and what they do.
UK Lottery Heritage Fund – Interesting Facts
The predecessors of the Lottery Heritage Fund were changing throughout the years. The first one was active in 1946 and was called the National Land Fund. In 1980 the National Heritage Memorial Fund took over till 1994. Then, the Heritage Lottery Fund, later rebranded (in 2019), does a great job in conserving the UK’s diverse heritage.
The Lottery Heritage distributes the heritage share of the UK National Lottery money for good causes. Back in the day, the fund was established to acquire land and buildings as a war memorial. Nowadays, the NLHF is responsible for distributing a share of money to heritage across the UK. This public body has a status of a non-departmental public organisation accountable to the British Parliament.
Types of Heritage Lottery Fund Projects
Heritage Lottery funded projects combine diverse sectors, including leadership and support. They also advocate for the value of the heritage. The good causes stretch to sport, charities and arts. Keep in mind that every ticket sold to people offline or to those playing lotto online, contributes to good causes across the United Kingdom. We have hand-picked the significant projects for the past couple of years:
- 2012 – Acquisition of Titian’s Diana and Callisto for the National Gallery London and National Galleries of Scotland (awarded £3 million)
- 2012 – Renovation of the Piece Hall in Halifax (awarded £13 million)
- 2005 – Restoration of Greenhead Park in Huddersfield (awarded £3.8 million)
- 2002 – Refurbishment of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow (awarded £13 million)
- 2002 – Creation of the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea (awarded £11 million)
- 1999 – Restoration of Heaton Park in Manchester (awarded £8.5 million)
- 1996 – Restoration of the Kennet and Avon Canal in Somerset (awarded £25 million)
Nowadays, the National Lottery Heritage Fund includes more and more offers active in various fields of everyday life. A great example is the projects helping young people connect with nature, programs emphasising the benefits of parks and green spaces, and the increased wellbeing through outdoor education opportunities.
How to Apply
The process of applying to the Lottery Heritage Fund has an easy to follow structure. The two main parts of the online application are divided into two main groups – funding under £10,000 and more than £10,000. The information required from you for Heritage Lottery funded projects is pretty much the same for either option. Here is what you need to do:
| Provide names of two people from your organisation | They cannot be relatives, married, related or with the same emails |
| Give information for your organisation | Things like legal name, address and type of initiative |
| The organisation’s accounts | Mainly how much you make |
| A bank statement (for the past 3 months) | It will paint the bigger picture |
| What sort of project you want to do | Gives an idea of what you want and how the NLH can assist |
In case you have any questions regarding Heritage Lottery funded projects, the Heritage Lottery Fund offers easy to use contact menu. All questions aid the fund to understand better what you need to apply. The application process lasts up to three months for you to complete. Along the way, employees from the NLHF might give you a call and ask some questions to establish the results of your application.
Applicants and Funding
Community or voluntary organisations plus public sector organisations are eligible to apply for 12 months of funding. The programme supports people to bring about positive changes in their communities. The Camelot Lottery Board of Trustees (which runs the UK National Lottery) is responsible for the National Lottery grants under £5 million, and the decisions on dividing them among applicants.
They make decisions based on the amounts in the applications. Decisions on applications of up to £250,000 are delegated monthly entirely by the Heads of Investment. Those between £250,000 and £5million are handled every three months by committees across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Lotto winners remain anonymous, unless they want to go public.
National Lottery Heritage Fund FAQ
Here you will find answers regarding the Lottery Heritage Fund neatly organised. All of them are hand-picked among the numerous questions regarding the NLHF UK. See the main aspects once again. The FAQ section is shooting straight to the point and will save you some time. Here are the most frequent queries in the UK.
