Applications Open for AHF Grant Programmes – Scotland [UK]

Deadline: 28-Apr-23

Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is providing grants to help with assessing the viability of a project or to help fund development costs for historic building related regeneration projects based in Scotland.

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) helps communities find enterprising ways to revitalise the old buildings they love. The funds support charities and social enterprises in developing sustainable new uses for historic buildings that are redundant or under-used. They aim to both enable the conservation of historic buildings and also to help groups own and manage historic buildings for the long-term.

The development work that they fund enables groups to test out ideas for re-using a building and to prepare detailed plans to the point of being ready to commence the works. In Scotland, projects may be located anywhere – in cities, towns or rural areas. This grant programme has been made possible by funding from Historic Environment Scotland and the William Grant Foundation.

Current Programmes

• Project Viability Grant (PVG)
  • Maximum: £10,000 – Average Offer: £6,000
  • Project Viability Grants (PVG) are to fund studies to look at potential uses for a building and at its current condition, and usually 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 monthly rolling basis. They aim to let you know whether you have been successful within six to eight weeks.
  • This grant programme is supported by funding from Historic Environment Scotland.
• Project Development Grant (PDG)
  • Maximum: £40,000 – Average Offer: £15,000
  • 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.
  • This grant programme is supported by funding from Historic Environment Scotland.
• William Grant Foundation Tailored Support Fund (TSF)
  • Maximum: £10,000 – Average Offer: £7,500
  • Thanks to funding from the William Grant Foundation, projects in Scotland may be eligible able to apply to the Tailored Support Fund. This is intended to help organisations and projects that may not fit will within the criteria for the other grant programmes.
  • Projects applying to this fund will generally be characterised by:
    • a strong community-led ethos;
    • a desire to give new purpose to a building valued locally for its architectural heritage;
    • plans that demonstrate strong social, economic or environmental benefits that help meet local need.
  • They’re particularly keen to hear from projects that might be aiming to create something unique and exceptional; or which will contribute more widely to enriching Scotland’s built environment fabric through trying new and better ways of doing things, i.e. innovative approaches with potential for replication and wider learning.
  • Example of situations they would welcome a discussion about potentially supporting with this fund include:
    • emergency repairs/urgent capital works/mothballing:
      • to prevent deterioration whilst developing longer term plans for a building;
      • to enable a ‘meanwhile use’ or testing of proposed longer-term use(s);
      • other costs involved in enabling meanwhile uses;
      • uplifts needed to existing funding due to unexpected situations/increased costs;
      • projects involving unlisted buildings that are highly valued by local communities for their historic interest;
      • assisting in building the capacity of a community to deliver a project;
      • any other areas where  other grant funding programmes cannot currently assist.

Eligible Projects

• your project involves an historic building, which they define as:
  • unlisted but in a Conservation Area and/or
  • highly valued by the local community for its demonstrable historic interest;
• your project involves a change of primary use and/or a change of ownership;
• your project is being led by a not-for-private-profit organisation

Ineligible Projects

• work that has started before a decision to award a grant
• on site capital works
• repair costs that are not part of a larger scheme to find a new sustainable use
• ongoing maintenance costs
• match funds to monies already provided by Historic Environment Scotland or the William Grant Foundation

Eligibility Criteria

Your organisation must be one of the following not-for-private-profit organisations, or lowest tiers of local government:

• Unincorporated organisations (e.g. charitable trusts and associations) intending to incorporate (for Project Viability Grants only)
• Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO)
• Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee
• Charitable Community Benefit Societies
• Community Benefit Societies
• Not-for-private-profit companies Limited by Guarantee
• Community Interest Companies (CICs) Limited by Guarantee
• Co-operatives
• Community Councils

Ineligible

• Private individuals
• Local authorities or other public sector bodies (unless applying on behalf of an organization still in formation)
• Universities, colleges and other mainstream educational institutions, including independent schools
• For profit companies, unless in a partnership led by a not-for-profit organisation
• Unincorporated organisations (e.g. charitable trusts and associations) that are not intending to incorporate
• Organisations with less than three Trustees or Directors
• Limited liability partnerships
• Churches or other places of worship, where the building or the space within the building you are enquiring about will be used as an active place of religious worship

For more information, visit Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF).