The International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM) has announced six new projects that will receive a total of £200,000 in funding through the second phase of its Global Maritime Histories Project, supporting innovative maritime heritage initiatives across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
The awards form part of the Global Maritime Histories Project, a six-year international initiative made possible through a £1 million grant from Lloyd’s Register Foundation. The programme supports new projects that explore, document and share maritime histories while ensuring that diverse voices and local perspectives help shape our understanding of the world’s seas and oceans.
Building on the success of Phase One, which supported four new projects between 2025 and 2026, this latest round of funding will help organisations strengthen maritime heritage networks, increase ocean literacy, preserve traditional maritime knowledge and explore the relationship between maritime communities and environmental sustainability.
Launched in 2023, the Global Maritime Histories Project has become one of ICMM’s flagship international programmes, helping to build new partnerships, encourage collaboration across the maritime museum sector and demonstrate how maritime heritage can contribute to addressing contemporary social, cultural and environmental challenges.
Kristen Greenaway, President of the International Congress of Maritime Museums, said:
“When we launched the Global Maritime Histories Project, our ambition was to create opportunities for maritime museums and heritage organisations around the world to collaborate, share knowledge and bring new voices into the telling of our shared maritime histories. Seeing the programme now enter its second funding phase is a fantastic milestone.
These six projects demonstrate the creativity, ambition and diversity that exist across our international community, and we are proud to support work that will strengthen connections between people and the sea while addressing some of the most pressing environmental and cultural challenges of our time. We are enormously grateful to Lloyd’s Register Foundation for making this programme possible and for their continued commitment to preserving and celebrating our global maritime heritage.”
The successful projects
The six successful projects will be delivered between July 2026 and June 2028 and reflect the diversity of maritime heritage around the world, from strengthening national museum networks and expanding ocean literacy to supporting community-led conservation and preserving traditional maritime knowledge.
Pelestari Sejarah dan Budaya Indonesia (Indonesia Hidden Heritage Creative Hub) – £40,000
Indonesia: Archipelago Connect Arc – Building a National Maritime Heritage Network through Regional Engagement
This national initiative will strengthen maritime heritage connections across Indonesia’s vast archipelago by engaging museums, cultural organisations and community leaders in 19 cities across six island regions. The project will build new networks, promote ocean literacy and create lasting resources that strengthen cultural resilience, ensuring local maritime stories contribute to international understanding.
Find out more about the Indonesian Hidden Heritage Creative Hub
Ateker Museum (Uganda) – £35,000
Stewards of the Lake: Community-led Eco-tourism and Environmental Stewardship on Lake Kyoga
Working with fishing communities at the Bugondo Landing Site, this project will develop community-led eco-tourism while empowering local people to become custodians and interpreters of their maritime heritage. Through training, partnership building and cultural programming, the project will strengthen both environmental stewardship and community wellbeing.
Find out more about Ateker Museum
Hong Kong Maritime Museum (Hong Kong) – £35,000
Together, We Navigate a Sustainable Future: Connecting Us through Ocean Literacy and Culture across China and the Pacific
This collaborative project will develop a scalable and replicable model for ocean literacy by combining citizen science, marine conservation, cultural storytelling and digital engagement. Working with up to ten partner museums and institutions, it aims to engage educators, students and Indigenous communities while strengthening regional cooperation around sustainable oceans.
Find out more about Hong Kong Maritime Museum
John Nurminen Foundation (Finland) – £25,000
Expanding Baltic Sea Day Engagement across the Baltic and Nordic Countries
Building on the success of Baltic Sea Day, this project will expand the initiative into new countries through stronger regional partnerships, multilingual resources and wider public participation. The project will encourage greater understanding of the Baltic Sea while inspiring long-term environmental action across the region.
Find out more about the John Nurminen Foundation
Museu do Mar Aleixo Belov (Brazil) – £35,000
South Atlantic Network for Ocean Literacy
This project will establish the South Atlantic Network for Ocean Literacy through a travelling exhibition and collaborative education programme led by Museu do Mar Aleixo Belov. It will bring together maritime museums and cultural organisations across Brazil to improve public understanding of the ocean through science, navigation, traditional fishing knowledge and maritime culture.
Find out more about the Museu do Mar Aleixo Belov
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (United States) – £30,000
Oystering on the Chesapeake: Building a Behavioural Model for Environmental Stewardship
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will reimagine its award-winning Oystering on the Chesapeake exhibition to create a case study demonstrating how museums can encourage meaningful environmental action and inspire visitors to become active stewards of marine ecosystems.
Find out more about Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Alex Stitt, Director of the Heritage Centre at Lloyd’s Register Foundation said:
“We are very pleased to see this crucial next step in the ICMM’s Global Maritime Histories Project, and proud to support it. The first series of participants have demonstrated how we can harness global insights and local knowledge about our maritime past to help us meet the challenges of the present and future. This latest stage will continue to reflect and preserve the diversity of voices across the maritime world, each a crucial part of how we can shape a safe and sustainable ocean economy.”
Collectively, these six projects demonstrate the breadth and diversity of maritime heritage across the globe while highlighting the vital role museums and heritage organisations play in preserving cultural knowledge, strengthening communities and promoting more sustainable relationships with our oceans and waterways.
Over the next two years, ICMM will work closely with each of the successful organisations, sharing their progress and celebrating the impact of their work with the wider international maritime museum community. Together, these projects will continue to build a richer, more inclusive understanding of our shared maritime histories and the role they play in shaping our future.
Further information about the ICMM Global Maritime Histories Project