The Guidance below is relevant for applications received up to 31 March 2008 (or 30 June 2008 for Your Heritage and Young Roots applications).
We published new guidance in April 2008 so If you are making a new application, please see our helping your application page.
All our guidance notes are available from this page free of charge. These tell you more about what we do and how you can apply for funding. For further information please contact us by emailing us at information team or calling us on 020 7591 6042.
Access plans Booklet to help you apply for a Project Planning Grant to create an access plan. Available in English (pdf file 256Kb) and Welsh (pdf file 351Kb).
Archives, People & CommunitiesWe have designed this guidance note to help you think about a possible application to us that involves archives and people. Published in April 2006. Available in English (word file 822 KB) and Welsh (Word file 757 KB)
Audience development plans Booklet to help you apply for a Project Planning Grant to develop an audience development plan.
Available in English (pdf file 1.77 Mb) and Welsh (pdf file 884 Kb)
Building Preservation Trusts
This document provides specific guidance for revolving fund Building Preservation Trusts (BPTs) that wish to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a grant. Available in English (BPTs) and Welsh (BPTs)
Building Projects: achieving quality and valueRead more about Building Projects
Business planning Issues you should consider and information you should provide in your business plan. Available in English (pdf file 1156Kb) and Welsh (pdf file 645Kb) .
Buying heritage items and collections This guidance note will help you think about a possible application to us for a project to buy heritage items and collections. Available in English (pdf file 97Kb) and Welsh (pdf file 97Kb).
Conservation Management Plan Guidance for conserving a building, landscape, townscape or park. Available in English: Management plan (pdf file 565KB), Model brief (Word file 663KB), Check lists (Word file 686KB) and Welsh: Management plan (Welsh) (pdf 622KB), Model Brief (Welsh) (PDF 142KB), Check lists (Welsh) (PDF 171KB).
Culture and learning Guidance for creating arts and heritage education projects. Available in English (pdf file 355Kb) and Welsh (pdf file 2.09MB).
Frequently Asked Questions Documents that identify frequently asked questions and answers:
FAQs on Disability Discrimination Act funding (Word document 27KB)
FAQs on the Creation of works of art (Word document 25KB)
FAQs on Positive Action Traineeships (Word document 27KB)
FAQs on Duration of Offers (Word document 27KB)
FAQs on Educational Establishments (Word document 27KB)
Improving your project for disabled people This guidance note addresses the issues you need to consider when improving your project for disabled people. Available in English (pdf 36KB) and Welsh (pdf file 176KB).
Language heritage Guidance on applying for a project based on language heritage.
English (language heritage) | Welsh (pdf file 432KB)
Oral history projects This guidance note will help if you are thinking about applying to us for a oral history project. Available in English (pdf file 162KB) and Welsh (pdf file 193KB).
Practical partnerships: involving young people in heritage
A booklet to share our ideas on involving young people in heritage projects
Click here for the Practical Partnerships document (pdf file 1.01 MB)
Public Libraries
The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded more than £6 million to public library projects since 1994. Can we help you?
English (public libraries) | Welsh (pdf file 680 KB);
Researching the history of Black & Minority Ethnic communities in the UK
We have designed this guidance note to help you plan your heritage project which will explore the presence of Black and Minority Ethnic communities in the history of the UK. We have compiled a list of heritage organisations, other cultural organisations and projects which the HLF has supported, which may be able to help you plan and develop your project in a variety of ways (September 2006). Available in English (pdf file 121KB)
Space for learning A Handbook for Education Spaces in Museums, Heritage Sites and Discovery Centres. Click here to read more about Space for Learning.
Sustaining Our Living Heritage
Research into skills and training for the heritage sector
Sustaining our living heritage (pdf file - 1.4 MB)
Thinking about access This guidance note will help if you are thinking about applying to us for a project that will improve access to heritage. Available in English (pdf file 139KB) and Welsh (pdf file 156KB) .
Thinking about Volunteering This guidance note will help if you are thinking about applying to us for a project that will involve volunteers. Available in English (pdf file 198KB) and Welsh (pdf file 241KB) .
Thinking about learning This guidance note will help if you are thinking about applying to us for a project concerned with learning. Available in English (pdf file 138KB) (pdf file 136KB) and Welsh (pdf file 214KB).
Timber procurement As part of our commitment to sustainability, the HLF is providing this guidance for applicants where timber will be used during the course of their HLF funded project. Guidance for applicants on timber procurement (Word file 464 KB)
Training plans Find out how to prepare a training plan linked to your application to us. Available in English (pdf file 802KB) and Welsh (pdf file 468KB).
Using Art in your heritage project
We have designed this guidance note to help you use the arts and the work of artists to plan and deliver your project to increase involvement in, access to, education about and enjoyment of our heritage.
English (pdf file 150 KB) | Welsh (pdf file 150 KB)
Young Roots Model of Practice
This publication is intended for use by a wide range of practitioners from both the youth work and heritage sectors. So whether you are a youth worker or a young person seeking to develop your own project, or a curator, education or outreach offi cer, this information should help you to develop a heritage project suitable for young people.
Click here for the Model of Practice document