Arts, Culture & Heritage628+ Funders

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%

Arts, Culture & Heritage Funders

56 of 628 match your filters

Checked against verified programme data for 120 of 628 funders. 508 not yet verified are listed below; 64 that don't fit were excluded.

29th May 1961 Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust, founded on 29 May 1961 by Miss Helen M. Martin from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, is an independent generalist grantma...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £15,000

Anchor Foundation

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£500 - £12,000

Architectural Heritage Fund

Verified open

Matching programme: Project Development Grants (PDG) - Scotland

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), a UK-registered charity founded in 1976, champions the conservation and sustainable reuse of historic buildings...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £100,000

Arts Council England

Verified open

Matching programme: National Lottery Project Grants

Arts Council England is the national development agency championing arts, museums, and libraries, rooted in a post-war vision to advance creativity fo...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £30,000

British Film Institute

Verified open

Matching programme: BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund

The British Film Institute, established by Royal Charter in 1933, leads UK efforts to advance film, television, and moving image culture through prese...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch

Verified open

Matching programme: Project Grants (Armenian Communities Department)

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch, established in 1956 from the bequest of Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, is a London-based arm ...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £600,000

Colwinston Charitable Trust

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £50,000

Cruden Foundation Ltd

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grant Programme

Cruden Foundation Ltd, established in Edinburgh from a building business legacy, embodies a mission of community regeneration and enduring public bene...

Grant Range
£2,500 - £5,000

D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Small Charity Grants

The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, established in 1972 by Dame Bridget D'Oyly Carte—granddaughter of theatrical impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte—honour...

Grant Range
£500 - £6,000

Didymus

Verified open

Matching programme: Didymus

Didymus is a small grant-making charity founded in 2013 to widen access to and participation in the arts, supporting UK-registered charities that deli...

Grant Range
£7,000 - £10,000

Elmgrant Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Organisation Grants

The Elmgrant Trust, family-founded in 1936 by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst and Beatrice, carries forward the Dartington Hall ethos of rural regenerati...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Elmley Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Programme

The Elmley Foundation is an independent grantmaking charity rooted in perpetuating the historic tradition of arts, crafts, and design from Madresfield...

Grant Range
Up to £2,000

Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £25,000

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Verified open

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 ...

Grant Range
From £30,000

Essex Heritage Trust

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Feisean Nan Gaidheal

Verified open

Matching programme: Fèis Development Fund (Stòras Leasachaidh nam Fèisean)

Feisean Nan Gaidheal, an independent Scottish charity established in 1991, serves as the umbrella body for the Fèis movement, which originated over 40...

Grant Range
£250 - £20,000

Forever Notts

Verified open

Matching programme: Kynan Eldridge Fund

Forever Notts, formerly Nottinghamshire Community Foundation and established in 1997 as an independent registered charity, serves as a vital broker fo...

Grant Range
£350 - £10,000

Francis C Scott Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grants

The Francis C Scott Charitable Trust, established in 1963 by Peter Scott CBE and Dr Joan Trevelyan in honour of their father—a local philanthropist pa...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £10,000

Freelands Foundation Limited

Verified open

Matching programme: Learning Through Making Fund

Freelands Foundation is a UK charity dedicated to ensuring universal access to visual arts education and participation, empowering individuals regardl...

Grant Range
£500 - £300,000

Frieda Scott Charitable Trust

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
Up to £20,000

Glasgow City Heritage Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Historic Environment Grants

Glasgow City Heritage Trust is an independent charity with a foundational mission to safeguard, repair, and promote Glasgow’s historic built environme...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £50,000

HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: General 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...

Grant Range
£500 - £2,000

Historic Houses Foundation

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £50,000

Idlewild Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Arts - Nurturing Early-Stage Professionals

Idlewild Trust is an independent grant-making charity with a foundational mission to advance education and learning by nurturing creative talent throu...

Grant Range
£4,500 - £7,000

J G Graves Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The J G Graves Charitable Trust, founded in 1930 by Sheffield businessman and philanthropist John George Graves, is a legacy-driven funder dedicated t...

Grant Range
£500 - £3,000

James Pantyfedwen Foundation (Ymddiriedolaeth James Pantyfedwen)

Verified open

Matching programme: Publications

The James Pantyfedwen Foundation (Ymddiriedolaeth James Pantyfedwen), established in 1998 as the successor to trusts founded by Sir D J James, is a Wa...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £15,000

Keith Howard Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Emergency Fund

The Keith Howard Foundation is an independent charitable trust founded in 2008 with a mission to create lasting societal change and positive impact in...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £30,000

Margaret Davies Charity

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
Up to £10,000

Margaret Killbery Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Margaret Killbery Foundation grant programme

The Margaret Killbery Foundation, established by the family of educator Margaret Killbery, advances access to and participation in the arts, with prim...

Grant Range
£25,000 - £50,000

Maria Bjornson Memorial Fund

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £15,000

Mayfield Valley Arts Trust

Verified open

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 ...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £20,000

Mayor of London's Fund for Young Musicians

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £15,000

Mercers Charitable Foundation

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£25,000 - £150,000

Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Local Grants

The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust is an independent Welsh grant-maker founded to harness the legacy of the Millennium Stadium for enhancing qual...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Mohn Westlake Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: The Mohn Westlake Foundation

The Mohn Westlake Foundation is a family charitable trust driven by dual missions: enhancing lives of children and young people through expanded acces...

Grant Range
£100,000 - £1,000,000

National Funding Scheme

Verified open

Matching programme: DONATE™ Digital Fundraising Platform

The National Funding Scheme is a pioneering UK charity founded to revolutionize charitable fundraising through cutting-edge digital technology, democr...

Grant Range
Contact funder

National Lottery Heritage Fund

Verified open

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 ...

Grant Range
£25,000 - £100,000

National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £10,000

Nisbet Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Nisbet Trust Grants

The Nisbet Trust is an independent grant-making charity established in 2011 by the Nisbet family, with roots in Greater Bristol through Andrew Nisbet'...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £30,000

Northern Ireland Screen Commission

Verified open

Matching programme: SCREEN

Northern Ireland Screen Commission, established in 1989 as the Northern Ireland Film Council and reconstituted in 1997, serves as the national screen ...

Grant Range
£9,000 - £22,500

Oakdale Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Grant Applications

The Oakdale Trust is a small, family-run charitable foundation established in 1946 by Brandon Cadbury, rooted in the Cadbury family's philanthropic le...

Grant Range
£250 - £3,000

P H Holt Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Action on Abuse Fund

The P H Holt Foundation is a legacy-driven grantmaker rooted in over a century of philanthropy aimed at improving everyday life for Merseyside residen...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £10,000

Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Perth City Heritage Fund (PCHF)

Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust (PKHT), an independent Scottish charity established in 1988, is dedicated to protecting, conserving, enhancing, and p...

Grant Range
Up to £5,000

Postcode Places Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Postcode Places Trust Grant Programme

Postcode Places Trust, a Scottish-registered charity (SC049115), channels funds raised through the People's Postcode Lottery to empower small charitie...

Grant Range
£500 - £25,000

Prince Philip Trust Fund

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grants

The Prince Philip Trust Fund, established in 1977 by Sir Christopher Aston to honour HRH The Duke of Edinburgh's service during the first 25 years of ...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Rainford Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grant Programme

The Rainford Trust, an independent grant-making charity established in 1973 by the Pilkington family—founders of the historic St Helens glassmaking fi...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Core funding

The Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust embodies a family-founded vision of community wellbeing, prioritizing quality of life enhancements, opport...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Royal Theatrical Fund

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Fund

The Royal Theatrical Fund, established in 1839 by actors led by Charles Dickens and expanded through Royal Charters in 1853 and 1974, is a specialist ...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Sackler Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: The Sackler Trust

The Sackler Trust is a UK-based grant-making foundation established in 2010 with a mission to advance medical science, healthcare innovation, educatio...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Shears Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Small Grants Programme

The Shears Foundation, a family-led charitable foundation established in 1994 by Trevor and Lyn Shears from proceeds of the Go-Ahead transport group f...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £6,000

Showing 50 of 56 matching funders

508 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.

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

1

Describe Your Charity

Tell us what your charity does, who you help, and where you work. Takes 30 seconds.

2

Get Matched Instantly

Our AI ranks all 628 arts, culture & heritage funders by how well they fit your specific work.

3

Write Winning Applications

Our AI assistant helps you draft and refine grant applications tailored to each funder.

Which of These 628 Funders Are Right for You?

Browsing 628 funders manually takes hours. Describe your charity once and get your top matches ranked by compatibility — in seconds.

  • Personalised match scores
  • Eligibility checks
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