The UK’s Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has published new research revealing the impact of the charitable organisations major grants of £5m (US$7.8m, €7m) or more over the past two decades.

Since the National Lottery – the body that funds the HLF – launched two decades ago, 173 major grants have been awarded. The in-depth study, HLF Major Grants – The first 100, looks at the first 100 completed individual projects as a measure to review the benefits of each investment.

Key findings in the research, which can be viewed in full here, included that total value of major funding for the 100 projects totalled £1bn (US$1.6bn, €1.4bn), complemented by a further £2bn (US$3.2bn, €2.8bn) in partnership funding.

The research also revealed that seven of the UK’s most popular 10 attractions had received support from the HLF, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Southbank Centre, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, the V&A and Somerset House.

The 100 projects were divided up into 65 visitor attractions, 23 of which were in London. Combined attendance at the attractions totals 94 million annually, around a 130 per cent rise from before funding was granted.

2,536 new jobs have been created by the HLF funding according to the study, which the body said represented a 23 per cent increase in staffing levels at the heritage attractions. Largest increases were in visitor services and community outreach work.

“20 years was the perfect time to take a fresh look at what HLF’s biggest investments have delivered,” said HLF CEO Carole Souter.

“Since 1994, we have made grants of as little as £3,000 and as much as £30m. This range of funding is vital to make sure we can support projects that reach all parts of the heritage and engage small community groups as well as great national institutions.”