Two projects designed to recognise the history of children's care in Camden, north London, have received a cash injection from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The Foundling Museum will receive more than £320,000 for a scheme to record and preserve the memories of 80 pupils at the former Foundling Hospital between 1918-1948, while a project to help today's young people find out more about the area's history is set to benefit from a grant of £119,000. More than 20,000 abandoned or illegitimate children were cared for at the Foundling Hospital between 1740 and the 1950s, and the museum is now looking to provide an insight into the lives of those who were cared for there.

The project will see stories collected and made available online, the staging of a six-month exhibition, and also the creation of a theatrical performance and touring exhibition for local young people. Meanwhile, the Camden Council-led Living Heritage project will focus on the conservation of the borough's history through a range of activities designed to educate young people. The scheme will involve trips to sites such as the British Museum, as well as a six-day archaeological 'mini-dig'.

Head of HLF London, Sue Bowers, said: "These two projects underline how the care of children and concern for their education has been a feature of life in Camden for 270 years. Today's community – adults and young people alike – will be given excellent opportunities to learn from the past." Lars Tharp, director of the Foundling Museum, said: "The Foundling is a young museum with a long past and an exceptional legacy, owing much to the many thousands of children whose lives have been shaped through Thomas Coram's original vision."