Our Work > Culture, Heritage & Reconciliation

Supporting culture, heritage and shared experience

Working alongside communities to strengthen participation, connection and shared understanding

We work alongside communities, organisations and partners to support culture, heritage and shared experience across the North West and North Coast of Northern Ireland.

By supporting participation in cultural and heritage activity, we help create opportunities for people to come together, explore place and build connections that strengthen community life.

What this matters

Culture and heritage play an important role in shaping how people understand place, identity and belonging. Across the region, these assets often carry complex and layered histories, while also providing opportunities for people to connect, learn and take part in shared experiences. When people can participate in cultural and heritage activity, it can strengthen confidence, encourage inclusion and create opportunities for connection across communities.

What we support

We support community-led cultural and heritage activity that encourages participation, creativity and shared use of place.

This includes:
supporting the use and animation of cultural and heritage assets
enabling participation in creative and cultural activity
supporting inclusive access to shared spaces and experiences
connecting people and organisations to strengthen collaboration

This work is shaped by local priorities and delivered in partnership with communities and organisations across the region.

How we contribute

Our role is to support and enable the work of others — strengthening collaboration and helping connect resources and opportunity.

This includes providing grant funding to support community-led activity, alongside wider work to strengthen partnerships and encourage participation across communities.

Through our connections with the City of London, we are also able to support relationships, cultural exchange and opportunities that benefit communities and organisations across the North West and North Coast.

Supporting relationships and shared futures

Participation in culture and heritage creates opportunities for people to come together, share experiences and build relationships.

We support activity that brings people into shared spaces, encourages dialogue and enables communities to explore both shared and distinct histories.

We are honest about the complexity of the past, while focusing on the future — supporting work that strengthens relationships and contributes to shared futures across communities.

What this leads to

By supporting cultural and heritage activity, this work contributes to:

These outcomes are built through participation, shared experience and sustained community-led activity.

Access funding

We provide grant funding to support cultural, heritage and community-led activity across the North West and North Coast.

Our funding supports participation, shared experience and activity that connects people and place.

Apply for funding

Living Heritage, Shared Futures

We are interested in activity that creates opportunities for shared experience, connection and understanding — where this is appropriate to the work being delivered.

For cultural, heritage and community groups bringing people together across differences. Storytelling, exhibitions, conversations, creative practice – work that helps us understand each other and what we share.