The National Lottery Heritage Fund offers grants from £10,000 to £10 million for not-for-profit organisations connecting people to heritage. While there’s no dedicated “sport” category, projects with a genuine heritage angle on sport and physical activity are within the scope of this fund. For example:
- Oral histories of clubs, players, or sporting communities.
- Historic sports buildings and grounds (pavilions, swimming baths, playing fields).
- Parks and open spaces used for sport and recreation, including their conservation and improved access.
How the funding works
- £10,000 to £250,000: projects can run for up to five years. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with no fixed deadlines.
- £250,000 to £10 million: up to two years development, then up to five years delivery. Applicants must first submit an Expression of Interest, which is assessed against quarterly deadlines (the current published dates are 26th February, 28th May, 6th August, and 12th November 2026).
Every application must address the Fund’s four investment principles:
- Saving heritage – conserving and valuing heritage for now and the future.
- Protecting the environment – supporting nature recovery and environmental sustainability.
- Inclusion, access, and participation – widening who gets to take part in and enjoy heritage.
- Organisational sustainability – strengthening your organisation’s long-term resilience.
You don’t need to weight these equally, the emphasis is yours to decide and justify.
Public parks and green spaces used for sport and recreation are eligible heritage assets, and their conservation and improved access ties into the environment principle above. If you’re working at a larger, place-based scale, it’s worth checking whether your project fits one of NLHF’s current strategic initiatives (these change over time, so this would need checking.