This resource pack was produced as part of the 2025 event series Research Routes: Emotions, senses and feelings in the archives. It includes information and links to organisations and funding streams that work directly with communities and community heritage projects.
Are you a community group with a passion for heritage? Or a museum, library, gallery or archive with a bold idea for community-led research - but you need funding and support to bring your ideas to life? The Spaces, Places and Belonging Community Hub is here to help.
The Spaces, Places and Belonging: Community Hub is a UK-wide programme supporting inclusive, community-led research across the United Kingdom’s galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) and heritage sector.
Led by The National Archives, this new UK wide programme offers grants, training, and digital tools to help you explore, share, and celebrate your community’s stories. Whether you're just starting out or ready to further develop the work already happening, you can apply for:
Plus, by applying to these schemes, you’ll gain access to resources and training as a permanent digital platform to share resources, learning and best practice.
Watch the Spaces Places and Belonging launch webinar on YouTube.
The Community Archives and Heritage Group (CAHG) is a national group which aims to support and promote community archives in the UK and Ireland. They bring together bodies and organisations concerned with community archives and provide a forum for the regular exchange of views and information. Since 2006, they have organised an annual conference, and they often run regional conferences. In 2011 they awarded their first Community Archive & Heritage Awards, to celebrate the importance of community archives and to promote best practice. Learn more about the CAHG in this YouTube video.
A Year in Archives is The National Archives' annual publication about and for the UK archives sector. It brings together stories and case studies from across the sector, showcasing and celebrating archives and their work. Split into ten themes, the publication showcases the ingenuity of archives to preserve and open up records across a range of communities in England.
In this research project, supported by the Centre for Cultural Value's Collaborate fund, theIrish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum partnered with Dr Aisling O’Boyle – Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Language Education Research, Queen’s University Belfast – to explore the social role of local museums in fostering cultural inclusion. Drawing on the project’s processes and activities, the research team has developed an Impact Toolkit designed to help museum staff nurture culturally inclusive practices. This toolkit also provides guidance for museums when evaluating and communicating their social impact to a wider audience.
Read more about the project and download the impact toolkit on the Centre for Cultural Value website.
The Heritage Funding Directory provides over 400 potential funding sources, along with guides to help you secure financial support. Resources also include funding application guidance, funding opportunities, and case studies.
We collaborate on research projects with a number of different partners, and we welcome suggestions for new projects and collaborations.