Welcome to the North East

The North East is a region where heritage is strong and the sense of identity of people and place is intrinsically linked. The region is a region of contrasts and contradictions united by its people and places. We are keen to work together with local and regional groups to develop projects that will give people a better opportunity to learn about, experience and look after their heritage.

We have identified priority areas and groups that have benefitted less from our funding in the past. Our four priority areas are listed in the green column to the right. We are also keen to hear from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups or organisations which support BAME communities.

If you are developing a heritage project we want to talk to you. Please read the Talk to us section for further information about how we can help you.

New grant programmes

As part of our new strategic framework, we have been making changes to our programmes.

If you are planning to submit an application please check our How to Apply section for the most up-to-date information on our current grant programmes.

Priority development areas

We have identified a number of priority development areas within the North East. They will be the focus of additional targeted activity by our development staff who will be doing more to raise awareness about Heritage Lottery Fund programmes and supporting local organisations and groups in making applications for grants in these areas. Priority development areas will not receive automatic funding but our aim is to generate a greater number of good quality bids from these areas which will be able to compete with applications from other places.

A number of factors were taken into account in identifying the priority development areas including lower levels of HLF spend so far. The priority development areas in the North East are listed in the right hand column.