Arts, Culture & Heritage Grants & Funding
There are 628 UK funders offering grants for arts, culture & heritage charities, with typical awards from £100 to £1,150,000.
The UK has a rich ecosystem of arts, culture, and heritage funding. Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland provide public funding, while a wide network of trusts and foundations supports independent arts organisations and creative projects. Grants range from core funding for established cultural institutions to small project awards for emerging artists and community arts groups. Heritage funding covers historic buildings, archives, museums, oral history, and intangible cultural heritage. The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and Garfield Weston Foundation are major arts funders alongside more specialist trusts. Participatory arts — projects where communities actively create rather than just consume culture — have seen strong funder interest. Many grant-makers value arts projects that deliver social outcomes alongside cultural ones: improving mental health, building community cohesion, or engaging marginalised groups. Rural touring, digital arts, and diversity in cultural leadership are current funding priorities.
Quick Stats
- Total Funders
- 628
- Grant Range
- £100 - £1,150,000
- Open to Applications
- 54%
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Clear filtersFilters use programme details verified from each funder's own published guidance. Funders we haven't verified yet are listed separately below, never hidden.
Arts, Culture & Heritage Funders
78 of 628 match your filtersChecked against verified programme data for 108 of 628 funders. 520 not yet verified are listed below; 30 that don't fit were excluded.
Alan Davidson Foundation
Matching programme: Alan Davidson Foundation Grants
The Alan Davidson Foundation, a UK-registered charity established in 2015 by pioneering architect Alan Hayes Davidson following his 2012 motor neurone...
Ampersand Foundation
Matching programme: Annual Grants
The Ampersand Foundation, established in 2011 by philanthropist Jack Kirkland, is a UK grant-awarding trust dedicated to advancing education and publi...
Anchor Foundation
Matching programme: Grant Programme
The Anchor Foundation is a UK-based grantmaker dedicated to supporting Christian charities that address social exclusion through ministries of healing...
Architectural Heritage Fund
Matching programme: Project Development Grants (PDG) - Wales
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), a UK-registered charity founded in 1976, champions the conservation and sustainable reuse of historic buildings...
Art Fund
Matching programme: Jerwood Art Fund Commissions
Art Fund, established in 1903 by Christiana Herringham and visionary artists and patrons, champions the acquisition and preservation of outstanding ar...
Arts Council England
Matching programme: Capital Investment Programme (Round 2)
Arts Council England is the national development agency championing arts, museums, and libraries, rooted in a post-war vision to advance creativity fo...
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Matching programme: Major Individual Artist
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI), established in 1962, is the principal public funding body for the arts in Northern Ireland, distributing ...
Arts Council of Wales | Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru
Matching programme: Arts, Health and Wellbeing
Arts Council of Wales (Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru), established by Royal Charter in 1994, is the principal national agency championing the arts across W...
Ashley Family Foundation
Matching programme: Revenue Grants
The Ashley Family Foundation, established in 1986 by Sir Bernard and Laura Ashley, embodies a mission to harness creative enterprise for community ben...
Baring Foundation
Matching programme: Arts Programme
The Baring Foundation, an independent London-based charitable foundation established in 1969 as Barings Bank's corporate arm and fully independent sin...
Bòrd na Gàidhlig
Matching programme: Gaelic Plans Fund – Projects Stream 2026/27
Bòrd na Gàidhlig, established by the Scottish Parliament under the 2005 Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act as an executive non-departmental public body, l...
British Academy for the Promotion of Historical Philosophical and Philological Studies
Matching programme: BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant
The British Academy, formally the British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical, and Philological Studies, is the United Kingdom’s na...
British Fashion Council Foundation
Matching programme: London Fashion Showcasing Fund
The British Fashion Council Foundation, a registered charity (1185152) established in 2019 as the philanthropic arm of the British Fashion Council, dr...
British Film Institute
Matching programme: BFI and Film4 Future Takes
The British Film Institute, established by Royal Charter in 1933, leads UK efforts to advance film, television, and moving image culture through prese...
Burlington Magazine Foundation
Matching programme: Burlington Magazine Scholarship for French 18th-century Fine and Decorative Art
The Burlington Magazine Foundation, established to safeguard the legacy of The Burlington Magazine—founded in 1903 by scholars like Roger Fry and Bern...
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch
Matching programme: Gulbenkian Exhibitions Fund
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch, established in 1956 from the bequest of Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, is a London-based arm ...
Cayo Foundation
Matching programme: General Grants
The Cayo Foundation is a UK-based discretionary grant-making trust established on 29 November 1999, dedicated to benefiting registered charities under...
Clive Richards Foundation
Matching programme: Bursary Scheme
The Clive Richards Foundation, established in 1986 by entrepreneur Clive Richards and his wife Sylvia (renamed in Clive's honour after his 2021 passin...
Clore Duffield Foundation
Matching programme: Clore Learning Spaces – Schools Connect Programme
The Clore Duffield Foundation, born from the merger of visionary philanthropic legacies, drives transformative opportunities through excellence, innov...
Colwinston Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Colwinston Charitable Trust, established in 1995 by Mathew Prichard CBE, sustains and supports high-quality artistic activities that enrich UK cul...
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Matching programme: FleX Competition (Flexibility Exchange Demonstrator)
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), established in 2016 through merger of business innovation and energy climate funct...
Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Medium Grant
The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust (EKCT), established in 1963 by Ernest and Joan Kleinwort, is a family-led grant-making foundation dedicated to m...
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Matching programme: Grants
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, established in 1961 by Ian Fairbairn in memory of his wife, is one of the UK's largest independent funders, dedicated ...
Essex Heritage Trust
Matching programme: Essex Heritage Trust Grants
Essex Heritage Trust is an independent grant-making charity established in 1990 following Essex Heritage Year 1989, dedicated to preserving and making...
Forever Notts
Matching programme: J N Derbyshire Trust
Forever Notts, formerly Nottinghamshire Community Foundation and established in 1997 as an independent registered charity, serves as a vital broker fo...
Frieda Scott Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Main Grants
The Frieda Scott Charitable Trust is an independent grantmaker rooted in a family legacy of compassion, established to strengthen community life by ad...
Friends of the Nations' Libraries
Matching programme: Acquisition Grants
Friends of the Nations' Libraries (FNL), established in 1931 as the UK's only charity dedicated exclusively to safeguarding written and printed herita...
Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust
Matching programme: Grants for repair and improvement of places of Christian worship
Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust is an independent charity dedicated to preserving and sustaining historic places of Christian worship across a...
Goldsmiths' Company Charity
Matching programme: Open Grants Fund
The Goldsmiths' Company Charity, rooted in the historic Goldsmiths’ Company with charitable origins dating to 1334 and formal registration in the late...
Grantscape
Matching programme: Middlemoor Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund (Organisations)
Grantscape, established in 1997, is a specialist UK charitable grant-maker dedicated to strengthening local communities and protecting the natural env...
Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation
Matching programme: Grants to Registered Charities
The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation advances Jewish life, learning, and broader charitable purposes through grant-making that fosters cultural enrichme...
HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Martin Wills Fund
The HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust is an independent grant-making charity founded in 1965 with a mission to advance charitable purposes worldwide, pl...
Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust
Matching programme: Loans
Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust (HHCT), established in 1954 by local heritage supporters, is dedicated to preserving, repairing, maintaining, an...
Historic Houses Foundation
Matching programme: Country Houses Foundation Grants (Buildings)
The Historic Houses Foundation is an independent UK charity with a foundational mission to preserve historic buildings—primarily country houses, garde...
HM Treasury
Matching programme: Rapid Response Vehicles Grant Scheme
HM Treasury, the United Kingdom's economic and finance ministry established centuries ago and led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, serves as the gu...
J P Marland Charitable Trust
Matching programme: The J P Marland Charitable Trust
The J P Marland Charitable Trust is a family-founded discretionary grantmaker with a mission to support worthy charitable causes delivering public ben...
John Ellerman Foundation
Matching programme: Main Grants programme (2025-2030 strategy)
The John Ellerman Foundation, established in 1971 by John Reeves Ellerman with wealth from shipping, brewing, and other industries—acknowledging its h...
Keith Howard Foundation
Matching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Keith Howard Foundation is an independent charitable trust founded in 2008 with a mission to create lasting societal change and positive impact in...
Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation
Matching programme: General Grants
The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation, established in 2008 by businessman Terry Bramall CBE and his wife Elizabeth with a £100 million endowment, is a ...
Margaret Davies Charity
Matching programme: Main Grants Fund
The Margaret Davies Charity, officially The Gwendoline and Margaret Davies Charity, was established by trust deed in 1934 to perpetuate the philanthro...
Maria Bjornson Memorial Fund
Matching programme: General Arts Grants
The Maria Bjornson Memorial Fund, established in 2008 to honor the legacy of acclaimed theatre, ballet, and opera designer Maria Björnson—best known f...
Mayfield Valley Arts Trust
Matching programme: AHT Enterprise Fund
The Mayfield Valley Arts Trust (MVAT), founded over 30 years ago by Tony and Scilla Thornton, began supporting music-making in Yorkshire—most notably ...
Mayor of London's Fund for Young Musicians
Matching programme: Partnership Projects
The Mayor of London's Fund for Young Musicians, trading as the London Music Fund, is an independent charity established in 2011 with the Mayor as Patr...
Mercers Charitable Foundation
Matching programme: Church & Communities
The Mercers’ Charitable Foundation, established in 1983 as the principal grant-making trust of The Mercers’ Company—London’s premier livery company fo...
Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Regional Grants
The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust is an independent Welsh grant-maker founded to harness the legacy of the Millennium Stadium for enhancing qual...
Mobbs Memorial Trust Limited
Matching programme: General Grant Programme
The Mobbs Memorial Trust Limited, established in 1956 by Sir Noel Mobbs using family endowment funds, is a family-governed grantmaker dedicated to pre...
Mohn Westlake Foundation
Matching programme: The Mohn Westlake Arts Engagement Fund
The Mohn Westlake Foundation is a family charitable trust driven by dual missions: enhancing lives of children and young people through expanded acces...
National Gallery Trust
Matching programme: National Gallery Masterpiece Tour 2025-2027
The National Gallery Trust, established under the 1992 Museum and Galleries Act as a non-departmental public body with charitable status, supports the...
National Lottery Heritage Fund
Matching programme: National Lottery Grants for Heritage £10,000–£250,000
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the UK's largest dedicated heritage funder established in 1994 (with roots in the 1980 National Heritage Memorial ...
National Manuscripts Conservation Trust
Matching programme: NMCT Conservation Grants
The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust is dedicated to safeguarding the UK's written heritage through preservation of at-risk manuscripts and arc...
Showing 50 of 78 matching funders
520 funders not yet verified against these filters
We haven't confirmed these funders' programme details yet, so they may or may not fit. Showing the first 10.
Tips for Applying to Arts, Culture & Heritage Funders
Arts and culture funders look for applications that articulate both artistic quality and social impact. Describe the creative excellence of your work — the artistic vision, calibre of practitioners, and cultural significance — alongside the social outcomes it delivers. Avoid reducing arts to a mere tool for social change; instead show how high-quality cultural experiences create transformative engagement. Detail your participatory methods, explaining how communities actively shape creative processes rather than simply attending performances or exhibitions. Demonstrate diversity and inclusion in your programming, governance, and workforce, showing concrete steps you are taking rather than aspirational statements. Present your audience development strategy, particularly how you reach people who do not currently engage with arts and culture, including evidence of barriers and how you address them. If your project involves cultural heritage, articulate its significance using frameworks such as heritage values or cultural asset mapping. Include evidence from previous work — audience feedback, participant testimonials, evaluation reports, or critical reviews — that demonstrates both artistic merit and meaningful engagement. Strong applications show a clear connection between creative ambition and community benefit, with realistic budgets that fairly compensate artists and creative practitioners.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Arts, Culture & Heritage Grants
What grants are available for arts, culture & heritage charities in the UK?
There are 628+ UK funders offering grants for arts, culture & heritage charities. These range from small community grants under £5,000 to large multi-year funding programmes exceeding £100,000. Use Fundermatcher to find the best match for your organisation.
How much funding can arts, culture & heritage organisations get?
Grant amounts for arts, culture & heritage charities vary widely depending on the funder and project. Typical grants range from £1,000 to over £100,000. Many funders offer multi-year funding for established organisations with a strong track record.
How do I apply for arts, culture & heritage grants?
Start by identifying funders whose priorities align with your arts, culture & heritage work. Fundermatcher matches your charity's profile against 628+ funders to find the best fit. Our AI assistant can then help you draft compelling grant applications.
How to Find the Right Arts, Culture & Heritage Funders
Describe Your Charity
Tell us what your charity does, who you help, and where you work. Takes 30 seconds.
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Our AI ranks all 628 arts, culture & heritage funders by how well they fit your specific work.
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Which of These 628 Funders Are Right for You?
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