A major centre for black history and culture will be created in Brixton, London, after a receiving a £4m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Raleigh Hall in Windrush Square, Brixton, will be converted into the permanent home of the Black Cultural Archives (BCA), a collection of historical material relating to black Britain and the African diaspora.

It will also provide an educational resource for schools, students and the general public.

The London Borough of Lambeth will also donate £600,000, and has gifted the 99-lease for the derelict, Grade II-listed Raleigh Hall to the project.

Carole Souter, chief executive at the HLF, said: “The BCA’s vision for a major black history and cultural centre has been a long time in the making, but worth the wait. And Raleigh Hall will make the perfect setting – a listed building with huge potential at the heart of Brixton -– in which to properly celebrate the contribution of black Britons to our cultural, social, political and economic life.”

Paul Reid, director of BCA, added: “This is a major achievement for people of African descent; we want to tell our stories from our own perspectives. We’ve worked so hard to get here and there’s still a lot to do to reach our fundraising target of £1.5m. I’m confident we will be able to achieve this and build a centre that we can all be proud of.”

The BCA was established in 1981, and its collection contains some 8,000 items including letters, notebooks and memorabilia, an original score by the 19th century composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor and photographs of a number of prominent black Britons.

Photograph: BCA director Paul Reid in front of Raleigh Hall