Grants to support the heritage sector to strengthen its recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the medium term and to build back for positive change across the UK’s heritage.
Fund Information
- Funding body:
- National Lottery Heritage Fund (Heritage Fund)
- Maximum value:
- £ 5,000,000
- Application deadline:
- 28/05/2021
Background
The National Lottery Heritage Fund's five-year Strategic Funding Framework (2019 to 2024) includes the new National Lottery Grants for Heritage funding programme.
Objectives of Fund
The funding will continue to support a broad range of heritage projects and activities, such as industrial sites, castles and historic places of worship, to the stories and memories of communities, and through to public parks, natural landscapes and native wildlife.
From April 2021 to March 2022, the National Lottery Grants for Heritage will give priority to heritage projects that:
- Boost the local economy
- Encourage skills development and job creation
- Support wellbeing
- Create better places to live, work and visit
- Improve the resilience of organisations working in heritage
In addition, projects will need to:
- Achieve the Fund’s inclusion outcome, involving a wider range of people in heritage.
- Demonstrate that they are building long-term environmental sustainability into their plans.
Value Notes
Three levels of grants are now available:
- Grants from £3,000 to £10,000
- Grants from £10,000 to £250,000
- Grants from £250,000 to £5 million.
Who Can Apply
Applications from £3,000 to £10,000 will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations and private owners of heritage.
Applications from £10,000 to £100,000 will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations, private owners of heritage and partnerships.
Applications from £100,000 to £5 million will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations and partnerships led by not-for-profit organisations
As a guide, this includes:
- Charities, trusts and charitable incorporated organisations
- Community and voluntary groups
- Community/parish councils
- Community interest companies
- Faith-based or church organisations
- Local authorities
- Other public sector organisations
- Private owners of heritage (for example, individuals and commercial organisations.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Operational deficits and emergency costs.
- Loan repayments.
- Redundancy costs.
- Costs that are eligible to be covered by Government support (for example, furlough).
- Remaining salary costs for staff on furlough not covered by the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, or any additional salary costs above the furloughing cap.
- Anything that contravenes Government advice on COVID-19.
- Recoverable VAT.
- Costs related to promoting the cause or beliefs of political or faith organisations
- Costs already covered through emergency support funding.
- Capital costs including urgent repairs and maintenance activities.
This is not an exhaustive list. Groups should check the guidelines.
Eligible Expenditure
Project funding to support a broad range of heritage projects and activities.
During 2021-22, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, priority will be given to at least one or more of the following outcomes:
- A wider range of people will be involved in heritage' (mandatory outcome)
- The funded organisation will be more resilient
- People will have greater wellbeing
- People will have developed skills
- The local area will be a better place to live, work or visit
- The local economy will be boosted
The other three outcomes are:
- Heritage will be in better condition.
- Heritage will be identified and better explained.
- People will have learnt about heritage, leading to change in ideas and actions.
The three priorities for heritage remain:
- Landscape and nature.
- Community heritage.
- Heritage at risk.
The funding can support a broad range of types of activity and cover a wide range of direct project costs. As an example, projects could include:
- Volunteer expenses
- Training costs
- Event costs (including room hire, refreshments and equipment)
- Capital works
- Repair and maintenance (revenue)
- New staff posts
- Professional fees (for example, legal costs)
- Paid training placements
- Costs to improve access to heritage
- Activities to help strengthen the organisation
- Costs associated with taking on new responsibility for heritage (for example, feasibility studies)
- Full Cost Recovery
- Digital outputs
- Repair and conservation
Location
UK
How To Apply
All relevant document relating to priorities, application guidance, help notes and revised outcomes are available from the NLHF website. Applicants should read these documents before starting the application process.
Applications are submitted via the online portal on the NLHF website.
There are no deadlines for grants under £250,000. Decisions are usually conveyed within eight weeks of receipt of application and all correct supporting document.
The deadline for applications exceeding £250,000 is noon on:
- 1 March 2021 with decisions by the end of June 2021
- 28 May 2021 with decisions by the end of September 2021
- 25 August 2021 with decisions by the end of December 2021
- 29 November 2021 with decisions by the end of March 2022
Applicants can contact either the main Customer Services team or their local office, a full list of local contacts can be found on the NLHF website under contact us
Useful documents & links
Useful Links
Addresses and contacts
For further information on how to obtain this grant locally, please contact the following:
- Customer Services Team
National Lottery Heritage Fund (Heritage Fund)
International House
1 St Katharine's Way
London
E1W 1UN
Tel: 020 7591 6044
Email: [email protected]