The UNESCO World Heritage Site is under threat from landslides and slippage which could seriously damage the historic iron bridge and gorge.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "It is vital that we do not let places like Ironbridge Gorge deteriorate or slide out of sight."
The world's first iron bridge was built there in 1779 by Abraham Darby III.
Mr Pickles described the area as a monument to the industrial revolution and "a testament to British ingenuity and ambition".
Telford and Wrekin Council has welcomed the government grant but has said that "around £80m" will be needed to fully protect the gorge.
The council said the money will help the Council undertake work between the Jackfield Tile Museum and the Boat Inn.
The work, which will involve drilling and grouting old mine workings and strengthening slopes and the river banks, will take four years, the council said.
A spokesman said land instability in the gorge "is nothing new" with reports of ground movement being recorded over the past 235 years.
Councillor Richard Overton said: "The bill we face to do this is beyond our means, so we are pleased that Government has found this money to go towards tackling this most pressing need."
The council said it has spent more than £16m on tackling land instability in the gorge since 2001.
Cracking was first reported on the iron bridge as early as 1784, and it has needed constant repair and maintenance.
The bridge suffers structurally due to land movement in the valley it was built in.
There were plans in the middle of the last century to demolish the original bridge and build a new one.
In 1967 the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust was set up to preserve the remains of the Industrial Revolution in the six square miles of the Ironbridge Gorge.
Between 1972 and 1975 £147,000 was spent on repairing the bridge, re-enforcing it and resurfacing it.
More than 550,000 visitors now come to the 10 Ironbridge Gorge museums every year from all over the world.

The letter was signed by leaders from Greater Manchester, Liverpool, North East, Sheffield, and West Yorkshire combined authorities.
It requested a meeting with Theresa May, who has not yet commented, "at her earliest convenience".
It stresses it is "vital" the north's voice is heard "loud and clear".
It pointed out the region had a "significantly larger" economy than Scotland and Wales and a population greater than London.
Greater Manchester's interim mayor Tony Lloyd sent the letter on behalf of himself and leaders of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, North East Combined Authority, Sheffield City Region Combined Authority and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The letter noted Ms May's talks with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh and invited her to a similar meeting in Greater Manchester "to discuss our role within the Brexit negotiations".
It read: "The north of England has long had concerns that we are being ignored, caught between an economically and politically powerful London and an increasingly politically important Scotland."
It continued: "As we negotiate our exit from the European Union, you have made clear that you believe in having an approach and negotiation objectives that include the whole of the United Kingdom.
"On that point we wholeheartedly agree.  It is absolutely vital that the voice of the north of England is heard loud and clear."
The combined authorities were set up as part of the government's devolution agenda.
This led to the Northern Powerhouse strategy, brainchild of former Chancellor George Osborne, an attempt to corral the north's population of 15 million into a collective force that could begin to rival that of London and the South East.
There has been some uncertainty over its continuation following Mrs May's reshuffle and Mr Osborne's return to the back benches.
However, Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole Andrew Percy was appointed as the new Northern Powerhouse minister on Sunday and a government spokesman said the Northern Powerhouse would "continue to be a priority".
Funding of £12m has been promised by the government to help preserve the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire.
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Leaders of five combined authorities have written to the prime minister saying the north of England needs a "strong voice" in Brexit negotiations.