Deadline: 19-Jan-2026
The Architectural Heritage Fund provides an important opportunity for community organisations in Scotland to revitalise historic buildings and bring them back into meaningful use.
Through a range of grant programmes, the Fund supports projects that combine heritage preservation with social, economic and environmental value, helping communities protect the places that define their local identity while stimulating regeneration and innovation.
The Project Viability Grant offers up to £15,000, with the average award being around £8,000. This funding helps organisations assess the potential for reusing a historic building, evaluate its current condition and prepare a Viability Report that explores feasible end uses. The report, produced to a standard template, can serve as a foundation for further funding applications or progression to the next development phase. Administered on a monthly rolling basis, decisions are typically communicated within six to eight weeks, allowing projects to move forward efficiently.
Once a project’s potential has been clearly established, the Project Development Grant provides up to £45,000, with an average award of £20,000. This grant assists organisations in advancing their projects towards implementation, covering development and coordination costs such as professional fees, design work and planning. To qualify, applicants must show that the proposed end use of the building is viable and that they are committed to delivering the project. Both of these grants are supported by Historic Environment Scotland, reflecting a shared mission to protect and reuse historic buildings for future generations.
A further opportunity is available through the Tailored Support Fund, made possible by the William Grant Foundation. Offering up to £15,000, with an average grant of £10,000, this fund is aimed at projects that do not fit neatly into the other grant categories but still demonstrate clear community, social or environmental benefit. It supports initiatives that are community-led, creatively reuse buildings of architectural or local significance, and contribute to wider learning about sustainable heritage regeneration. The Fund is especially interested in projects that test innovative or replicable approaches, as well as those that require emergency repairs, temporary uses, or assistance to build local capacity while long-term plans are developed.
Eligible applicants include a wide range of not-for-private-profit organisations such as charitable incorporated organisations, charitable companies limited by guarantee, community benefit societies, community interest companies limited by guarantee, and parish or town councils. Unincorporated groups intending to incorporate can also apply for Project Viability Grants. In some cases, independent secular organisations seeking to take ownership of a place of worship for community use may also be eligible, provided religious activity accounts for less than half of the building’s intended use.
The Fund does not generally support private individuals, for-profit companies, or public sector bodies other than parish and town councils. Similarly, educational institutions, unincorporated groups without plans to incorporate, and churches intending to continue using their buildings primarily for worship are not eligible.
Overall, the Architectural Heritage Fund’s programmes in Scotland offer a valuable pathway for community organisations committed to preserving heritage through practical, socially beneficial reuse. By providing targeted financial assistance at each stage—from viability to full development—the Fund helps local groups turn historic buildings into active, sustainable assets that continue to enrich Scotland’s built environment and community life.
For more information, visit The Architectural Heritage Fund.
