Grant Programmes - England

This grant programme has been made possible by funding from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Historic England

Transforming Places through Heritage

This programme supports projects that will contribute to the transformation of high streets and town centres in England helping them become thriving places, strengthening local communities and encouraging local economies to prosper.  It is part of a wider initiative to revive heritage high streets in England, alongside Historic England’s High Streets Heritage Action Zones. Together, these programmes form part of the Future High Streets Fund, administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Our programme is for individual heritage buildings in, or transferring to, community ownership. We will support charities and social enterprises to develop projects with the potential to bring new life to high streets by creating alternative uses for redundant or underused historic buildings in town centres.

What types of funding are available and when can I apply?

The AHF can provide grants to help with assessing the viability of a project, or to help fund development costs or to match funds raised through Crowdfunding and Community Shares. We will also provide a small number of capital (delivery) grants for Transformational Projects. Below you will find the dates for the opening of initial grant applications.

• Project Viability Grants: up to £15,000, for early viability and feasibility work, open now for applications.

• Project Development Grants: up to £100,000, for capital project development costs, open now for applications.

• Crowdfunding Challenge Grants: up to £25,000, to match fund crowdfunding campaigns, open now for applications. Please note the additional guidance and supplementary questions.

• Transformational Project Grants: up to £350,000, for transformational capital projects, currently closed for applications.

• Community Shares Booster Grants: Apply here

Please download the Programme Guide and Help Notes to find out more about the types and amounts of grants available.

Which areas will be eligible?

The programme will focus on places where strategic regeneration programmes are planned or are already underway. This includes Heritage Action Zones or places that have secured funding through the Future High Streets Fund. Historic building projects located within other area-based regeneration programmes, such as Townscape Heritage areas or where an applicant can demonstrate a significant community-led strategic approach is in place, will also be considered. Projects should not be standalone but sit within a wider initiative to regenerate and bring a new purpose to the immediate surrounding area.  

Please note that our grants cannot be used to fund the same work that is being grant-aided through a Future High Streets Fund or High Streets Heritage Action Zone programme. These strands of funding cannot partner each other, but will fund projects that are complementary. These strands of funding may separately fund different stages of one project.

If your project is not on a high street or in a town centre, you may be eligible for a grant supported by Historic England through the National Capacity Building scheme. Please see the Programme Guide here.

Enquire and Apply

Please see Enquire or Apply for more details of application deadlines as these are announced. 

The Programme Guide and Application Help Notes provide details of each Grant. You can apply to only one grant programme at any one time, but you may apply for further grants on completion of the funded work, subject to overall limits as explained in the Programme Guide.  

A team of Programme Officers and consultant Project Advisors will support projects seeking and receiving funding through the programme. When you make an initial enquiry and/or make a grant application, we will identify the need for support and put you in touch with one of our TPTH Team