The Isle of Wight is a unique place that has been shaped by a diverse range of people. We want to fund a wide set of Island based heritage and community organisations to capture, celebrate and curate the ‘every day’ heritage of the Island. This is the right fund for community organisations with an annual income under £500k who are working to showcase forgotten and hidden histories.

Who can apply? These grants are for nonprofit community organisations who are active at grassroots level. Past Futures is designed as entry-level grant funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and bids are welcomed from first time grant applicants. We are seeking a diverse range of grantees and expect to make grants to organisations which represent towns, villages, communities of interest, workplaces, and customs and traditions that are less visible within the heritage sector.

What work can be delivered? A core aim of the funding is to help the Island’s communities to capture their own distinctive heritage stories. This could be:

* A museum wanting to expand the story around a key object within its collection.

* The stories of a particular community such as Filipino nurses and their contribution to the hospital.

Your project can include a range of heritage outputs, examples could be: a collection of photos; a touring exhibition; audio or video records of people’s stories.

What support is on offer to applicants? All applicants to this Fund need to engage with the Programme Support lead. This will ensure we can walk applicants through the full criteria, support you in making your bid and help you fulfil the requirements of The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

If you are an Isle of Wight community organisation interested in finding out more about this funding and details of how to apply, then please contact HIWCF on grantsadmin@hiwcf.com