Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) Grant Programmes

Deadline: 31-Jul-20

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is accepting Applications for its Grant Programmes to help and deliver the overall strategic objectives and outcomes for heritage and communities:

To support people, communities and organisations to take ownership, to repair and to adapt historic buildings and places for new sustainable uses.
To attract more investment for the conservation and sustainable re-use of the UK’s architectural heritage.
To inspire the start up and growth of new community enterprises that utilise historic buildings and places for public benefit.
To demonstrate the value of a well-managed historic built environment by championing and showcasing the impact of the projects they have supported.

Priorities

The Fund will assess whether your grant application is a HIGH, MEDIUM or LOW PRIORITY in each of the following categories:

HERITAGE NEED: The Fund will give priority to projects involving historic buildings that have statutory protection (i.e. listed or in a Conservation Area and of acknowledged historic significance) and at risk. They will consider applications for unlisted buildings if you can show that they are highly valued as heritage assets by the local community. This may include local listing or being identified as a heritage asset in a neighbourhood or parish plan.
SOCIAL IMPACT: They will give priority to projects that have the potential to make a significant positive social impact, particularly (but not exclusively) in disadvantaged areas such as urban communities experiencing structural economic decline or isolated rural areas with poor access to services. They want to help build stronger and more cohesive communities by supporting projects that will create employment, training and/or volunteering opportunities both during the project’s development and in the years following completion.
WHY NOW? The work you carry out with grant support should help you reach planned milestones in your project’s development and there should be a tangible outcome – for example, a funding bid submitted, a business plan created, a partnership agreed, the acquisition of a property. Is the work absolutely essential at this time? What difference will it make? What might happen if the project is not progressed now?
FINANCIAL NEED: They will assess your organisation’s ability to contribute towards the cost of the work. They give priority to applications that can provide at least 50% partnership funding from other sources. (In England this is a minimum requirement.) This helps to demonstrate a wider commitment to your project and a willingness to share some of the risk.

Programmes

Project Viability Grant (PVG)
- Project Viability Grants (PVG) are to fund studies to look at potential uses for a building and at its current condition, and produce a Viability Report to a standard template. Successful completion of this will be used to judge whether applicants can then apply for the AHF’s Project Development Grant funding, and can be used to secure further funding elsewhere. This grant is administered on a rolling basis. The grant aim to let you know whether you have been successful within six weeks.
Project Development Grant (PDG)
- The Project Development Grant (PDG) scheme is intended to assist an organisation to cover some of the costs of developing and co-ordinating a project and taking it towards the start of work on site.
- To qualify, an organisation must have established that the end use of the project is likely to be viable and have decided to take the project forward.

Funding Information

The Fund offers two types of project seed-funding: PROJECT VIABILITY GRANTS (up to £7,500) and PROJECT DEVELOPMENT GRANTS (up to £30,000). The grants are for project development costs only and not for on-site capital works.

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for a grant you must be a formally constituted charity or social enterprise whose members have limited liability. This includes: