Background and general overview
Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s Heritage Grants Call aims to fund ambitious, high-impact projects that support our heritage key themes and contribute to delivering the Foundation’s 2024-2029 strategy. This £2.5 million programme will support initiatives that strengthen heritage research, equity, safety, and public access, while advancing our global reputation as a centre of excellence in heritage management and learning from the past.
The Foundation has been working globally to engineer a safer world for many years, building on the legacy of Lloyd's Register, dating back to 1760 as a maritime classification society. The heritage key themes aim to increase the understanding of maritime safety and its importance to the past, present and future ocean economy. Through this call we invite expressions of interest to help us to deliver this vision, mobilising heritage and cultural evidence, and widening perspectives to learn from the past. Find out more about the heritage key themes.
Who can apply
In line with our Grant Eligibility and Grant Funding Guidelines, Lloyd’s Register Foundation does not generally restrict the types of organisations eligible for funding. Funding may be directed towards, but is not limited to, the following types of organisations:
- Registered Charities: Non-profit organisations with a clear public benefit focus, registered with appropriate charity regulators.
- Civil Society and Mission-Driven Organisations: Independent organisations (including NGOs, non-profits, and social enterprises) that exist to advance social, environmental, or public benefit goals, reinvesting resources to achieve their mission rather than generate private profit.
- Academic Institutions: Universities and research centres engaged in education, research, or public engagement activities aligned with Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s mission.
- Industry and Commercial Organisations: Companies and private sector organisations engaged in research, innovation, or services that contribute to public benefit, safety, or the Foundation’s mission.
- Heritage & Culture Organisations: These include Museums, Heritage, Archives, Community and Cultural organisations.
Collaborative, cross-sector and inter-disciplinary proposals are strongly encouraged.
Principles for Non-Charitable Organisations
In line with United Kingdom government guidelines, Lloyd’s Register Foundation adheres to the following principles when granting funds to non-charitable organisations:
- Grants must only fund activities, services, or outcomes aligned with the Foundation’s charitable mission.
- Funding for support costs is restricted to specified activities, services, or outcomes. Please consult further information on the Applying for Funding and Managing Awards pages of the Foundation’s website.
- Grant terms require recipients to adhere to purpose-related restrictions. · Grants must not provide personal benefit to individuals involved.
- The Foundation and its Trustees must be able to justify each funding decision as serving the Foundation’s best interests.
- Recipients must use funds for the stated purpose, ensuring public or organisational benefit, not private profit.
These principles ensure that all grants to non-charitable organisations remain aligned with Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s mission and are compliant with relevant regulatory standards.
What we’re looking for
Projects must align with our heritage key themes below:
1. Safety – Shipwrecks, maritime disaster, learning from success
2. Equity & Transparency – Forgotten voices, hidden figures, contested history
3. Transitions – Ships, ports, technical transitions (e.g. decarbonisation)
We are particularly interested in proposals that will scale our impact in any of the following five ways:
- Align with our heritage priorities and contribute to delivering the Foundation’s 2024-2029 strategy.
- Demonstrate collaboration and shared benefit
- Centre equity, innovation, and access
- Have a clear vision and plan for impact and sustainability
- Build capacity across the sector
What we don’t fund:
Applications that do not directly align with the Foundation’s mission or fail to advance the Heritage Centre's vision will be excluded. This includes:
- Projects outside the charitable mission of Lloyd’s Register Foundation or the Heritage key themes
- Conservation of historic vessels
- Naval history-only projects
- Capital works
- Educational tuition fees
- Retrospective costs for completed work
- Lobbying or campaigning
- Business or first-class travel
- Core equipment (unless specialist and pre-approved)
- Add-ons to existing projects (e.g. publication fees, sub-projects)
- Expeditions /artist in residence costs
- Projects from organisations whose core focus falls outside the scope of our mission, as well as from political or religious organisations
Examples of eligible projects might include:
- A museum-university partnership exploring shipwreck histories and public memory
- A community-led oral history project highlighting hidden maritime labour stories
Read more about the projects that we currently fund here.
Grantees will be expected to:
- Provide regular progress updates and a final report
- Share insights publicly via open-access resources, events, or social media
- Engage in Foundation-led evaluation or learning activities where appropriate
What we offer
Funding & Scope:
- Total funding: £2.5 million
- Grant size: £200,000–£500,000 per project
- Project Duration: Flexible
Eligible costs include:
- Research and partnership development
- Public engagement and access
- Capacity-building in heritage skills
- Specialist, pre-approved equipment
- Technology and digital innovation
- Interpretation and collections access
How to apply
Four stage application process includes:
Stage 1: Register with our grants management system
To start your application, you will first need to create an account on Flexigrant on the Lloyd’s Register Foundation portal homepage. Once registered, you will receive an email to verify your account. Please ensure all organisational and contact details are accurate when creating your account.
Stage 2: Submit an expression of interest by 24 November 2025 23:59 GMT.
You can apply for the funding call here.
Applicants will be required to submit a short concept note (maximum 2 pages) that outlines the project idea, proposed partners, indicative budget, and alignment with the Foundation’s heritage themes. Expression of interests will be assessed for eligibility, strategic fit, and potential impact
Webinar for applicants
We encourage all potential applicants to attend an informational webinar on 9 October 2025 with both morning and afternoon sessions (Morning session 10:00 GMT and afternoon session 14:00 GMT), where we will provide an overview of the call, eligibility criteria, and application process, followed by a Q&A session. Details on how to register will be available on our website.
Deadline for Expression of Interest
To ensure timely consideration, please submit your expression of interest by 24 November 2025 23:59 GMT. Once an initial review has been carried out, we may request some additional documentation from you if you have not previously worked with the Foundation.
Stage 3 – Full Application (by invitation only)
Shortlisted applicants from Stage 2 will be invited to submit a detailed proposal through the Flexigrant portal, which will include:
- Comprehensive project plan and methodology
- Detailed budget and justification of costs
- Delivery team and governance arrangements
- Impact framework, evaluation plan, and risk management strategy
- Invitations to submit full proposals will be issued 19 January 2026 and the deadline to submit full proposals is 2 March 2026.
Stage 4 – Grant Award & Onboarding
Following review by our team during our governance meeting on 2 June 2026, successful applicants will be notified on 8 June 2026.
Awardees will undergo onboarding with the Foundation to agree milestones, reporting requirements, and other commitments within the contract.
How we will assess your application
Proposals will be judged on:
1. Clear articulation of how your project aligns with the Foundation’s 2024-2029 Strategy
2. Alignment with Heritage Centre key themes
3. Grantee expertise
4. Innovation and broader sector benefit
5. Strength and clarity of collaboration and partnership
6. Feasibility and risk management
7. Long-term impact and legacy
8. Value for money
9. Demonstration of appropriate policies and governance
Contacts
Emily Cameron, Programme Manager (Emily.cameron@lrfoundation.org.uk)
Heritage Grants Open Call - FAQ's
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1. What is the purpose of the Heritage Grants Call? |
The call aims to fund ambitious, high-impact projects that strengthen heritage research, equity, safety, and public access, while advancing our Foundation’s 2024–2029 strategy. |
| 2. Who can apply? |
We welcome applications from:
Collaborative, cross-sector, and inter-disciplinary proposals are strongly encouraged. |
| 3. How much funding is available? |
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| 4. What types of costs are eligible? |
Funding may support:
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| 5. What projects we will not fund |
We are unable to fund:
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| 6. What are the Foundation’s heritage priorities? |
Projects must align with at least one of our heritage key themes: 1. Safety – Shipwrecks, maritime disaster, learning from success 2. Equity & Transparency – Forgotten voices, hidden figures, contested history 3. Transitions – Ships, ports, technical transitions (e.g. decarbonisation) |
| 7. Application Process |
Is this a recurring call, or is this the only opportunity to apply? Currently, this is the only planned Heritage Open call within the next 12 months. Do we need to include partner institutions in the Expression of Interest (EOI)? Yes, please list all expected collaborators in your EOI. While formal letters of support are not required at this stage, identifying partners and their roles will strengthen your proposal. Can I submit an EOI first and find partners later? We strongly recommend identifying your partners before submitting the EOI. Can an organisation submit multiple proposals? Yes, it is possible to submit more than one EOI from the same organisation. It is however more likely that we will fund a range of organisations rather than multiple from one organisation. Projects will be assessed individually and ranked according to strength of proposals and we will seek a balanced portfolio of projects. How detailed should the budget be in the Expression of Interest (EOI)? The EOI budget should provide a high-level estimate of expected costs. A detailed breakdown will be required at the full proposal stage. Can funding be distributed among partners? Yes, while the grant contract will be with the lead institution who will receive the full funding, funds can be distributed to partners in accordance with appropriate governance processes, as per the project agreement. Will the webinar recording and slides be shared? Yes, the webinar recording and slides will be shared with attendees via email. If you have not received them or you were unable to attend, please reach out to us |
| 8. How to apply |
1. Register on our Flexigrant grants portal by 24 November 2025 23:59 GMT. 2. Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) – a two-page concept note outlining your idea, partners, indicative budget, and alignment with our themes (maximum 1,000 words). 3. Full application (by invitation only) – shortlisted EOIs will be invited to submit a detailed proposal 4. Review & Award – successful projects notified in in June 2026 and onboarded from July/Aug 2026 |
| 9. What is the timeline? |
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| 10. How will proposals be assessed? |
Applications will be evaluated on: 1. Clear articulation of how your project aligns with the Foundation’s 2024-2029 Strategy 2. Alignment with heritage key themes 3. Grantee expertise in the field 4. Innovation and sector benefit 5. Collaboration strength 6. Feasibility and risk management 7. Long-term impact and legacy 8. Value for money 9. Demonstration of appropriate policies and governance |
| 11. What is expected from grantees? |
Awardees must:
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| 12. Funded Project Examples |
These case studies highlight the types of impactful, heritage theme-aligned projects the Foundation supports:
Partnering with the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM), this programme empowers 120+ maritime museums around the world to explore safety, heritage, and sustainability through museum storytelling, especially in the Global South.
A collaborative research and mobility project with the National Archives, improving digital access and understanding of the transatlantic slave trade and uncovering Lloyd’s Register’s role during this time through co-designed initiatives.
A project elevating women’s stories back into maritime heritage narratives using oral histories and archival material. The project raises awareness of equality and forgotten voices, showcasing the stories publicly through a public exhibition.
A five-year programme with the National Maritime Museum in the United Kingdom, designed to drive ocean literacy, gender equality, public engagement, and digital innovations—enhancing maritime heritage and safety.
A six-year project with the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures at the University of Portsmouth that compares historic sail-to-steam shifts with today’s fossil-to-carbon-neutral shipping transitions, through PhD-level research in port communities across Macau, Callao (Peru), and beyond, to uncover lessons for resilience in the Global South. Helping to open access to and use of cultural heritage
Find other projects that we currently fund on our website here. |