The Spaces, Places & Belonging (SPB) Community Hub, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), is a UK‑wide programme supporting people working with heritage, culture and communities. Through funding, skills development and network‑building, the Hub aims to strengthen community‑led research and heritage work, and to create practical, long‑term benefits for the sector.
Pictured: Inspiring Yarns
Our Seed Corn Grants round has now closed, but we’re delighted to have supported up to 17 brilliant projects through this strand. These early‑stage grants help community groups and partners test ideas, build relationships and explore new approaches to working with heritage. You can read more about the funded projects and the work they’re undertaking on our website.
Funding still open: Project Grants and Skills Bursaries
While Seed Corn has closed, there are two funding opportunities still open, with further rounds planned:
- Project Grants – awards of up to £30,000 to support larger, collaborative projects between community groups and GLAM / heritage organisations. These projects are co‑designed with communities and focus on inclusive, community‑centred research and engagement.
- Skills Bursaries – awards of up to £1,000 for individuals looking to develop skills, confidence and experience in community heritage work.
As part of our funding approach, we also practise portfolio balancing. This means we may prioritise applications from Northern Ireland and other Home Nations, or other under‑represented regions, to ensure a broad geographical spread of funded projects across the UK.
Project Grants Webinar
For a breakdown of their Project Grants, how to apply, hints and tips visit The National Archives YouTube channel to find out more here.
Skills development and training programme
Alongside funding, the Community Hub offers a free skills development and training programme, which will be launching shortly. The programme has been developed in conversation with community groups, practitioners and partners across the UK, and responds directly to the skills, challenges and opportunities people have told us about.
Pictured: Museum X
The training programme supports people working with heritage, culture and communities to build practical skills, confidence and new ways of working together. It includes a mix of online and in‑person sessions covering topics such as:
- building meaningful and equitable community partnerships
- working ethically, inclusively and with care
- telling community stories creatively
- oral history practices
- turning ideas, research and collections into engaging public outputs
All sessions are free to attend and open to everyone - you don’t need to be an SPB grantee to take part. However, we know that access matters, so a proportion of tickets will always be reserved specifically for community groups.
Full details of the training programme can be found on our website, and we’ll be sharing more information in the coming weeks.
For any questions, or to have a discussion about a potential project, please get in touch with the Hub Programme Manager, [email protected].
