Grant Directories

The Swire Charitable Trust makes grants to charities supporting some of the UK’s most vulnerable people to overcome barriers and realise their potential, and to charities who are protecting the  environment and heritage.

The Arts & Culture Impact Fund brings together public, private and charitable funding to provide affordable repayable finance to the UK’s arts, culture and heritage organisations able to demonstrate measurable positive social impact. The funding could be used, among other things, to acquire new assets, improve built infrastructure, develop new ventures or scale up existing revenue streams.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund uses money raised by players of the National Lottery to fund projects that connect people and communities to the national, regional and local heritage of the UK. This could include oral history; cultural traditions; nature; natural and designed landscapes; community archaeology; historic buildings, monuments and environments; collections of objects, books or documents in museums, libraries or archives; etc.  Grants range from £3,000 to £5,000,000.

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee that promotes the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings at risk for the benefit of the public. The Project Viability Grant (PVG) scheme is intended to be an initial assessment of whether it is viable to bring an at risk building that is listed or in a conservation area and of acknowledged architectural or historic merit back into a sustainable use. In particular it aims to enable not for profit organisations to explore the evidence of need for a suggested use, or uses, for a building and the sustainability of that use, with a view to the likely requirements of grant funders. Grants are available up to £15,000.

The AHF is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee that promotes the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings at risk for the benefit of the public. The Project Development Grant (PDG) scheme is intended to assist not for profit organisations looking to put to beneficial use an at risk building that is listed or in a conservation area and of acknowledged architectural or historic merit. Funding will cover some of the costs of developing and co-ordinating a project and taking it towards the start of work on site and can include a combination of non-recoverable professional fees and project organiser costs. Organisations must have established that the end use of the project is likely to be viable and have decided to take the project forward. Grants are available of up to £20,000.

The Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) promotes the study, preservation and presentation of Britain's industrial heritage. The AIA Restoration grants are available for the restoration of historically, technically, architecturally, and/or archaeologically important industrial buildings, structures, machinery, vehicles and vessels within the UK. To be eligible for funding the heritage asset must be covered by a Conservation Policy and/or Statement; and must be sustainably managed, displayed and interpreted for the public, therefore the public must have full access to the asset. Funding is available for a maximum of £20,000 and can only cover capital expenditure.

Historic England is the public body that looks after England's historic environment, they champion historic places, helping people understand value and care for them. The Regional Capacity Building Programme offers funding for activities and projects which are local or regional in coverage and which promote the understanding, management and conservation of the historic environment. Under this programme, Historic England provides funding for activities and projects that help to reduce or avoid risk to the historic environment.

This grant scheme is designed to encourage and support local authorities in the use of their statutory powers to ensure that work urgently necessary for the preservation of a vacant or partly occupied listed building is undertaken. Under this scheme grants are available to assist local authorities both to Serve Urgent Works Notices under Section 54 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 on owners who allow historic buildings to fall into an unacceptable state of decay; and to carry out the work required themselves if necessary. Projects must involve Grade I or II* buildings, Grade II buildings within a conservation area or any listed building in London.

This grant scheme focuses on help to local planning authorities to underwrite the cost of serving a Repairs Notice under sections 47, 48 and 52 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 on historic buildings which have fallen into a serious and dangerous state of decay. Grant eligible expenditure can include the cost of professional services brought in by an authority to enable it to serve Repairs Notices, as well as the acquisition price. As well as funding local authorities to underwrite the cost of serving a Repairs Notice, Historic England can also, in extreme cases, help with the subsequent acquisition of a building if such action, as a last resort, is deemed necessary.