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The Heritage Revival Fund

We are pleased to launch a new grants programme for England – the Heritage Revival Fund.

The Heritage Revival Fund has been created to help communities across England rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings. This programme will focus on regenerating historic buildings in town centre locations.

It will do this by supporting community organisations to take ownership of, adapt and reuse the local heritage assets that matter to them, transforming them into thriving spaces that meet their needs.

This grants programme has been made possible with funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Historic England, and forms part of the government’s wider £270 million investment in arts and culture.

You can find a summary of the grants available, the work we can support and how to apply below.

For full details, please download the Heritage Revival Fund guidance. 

 

Project Viability Grants

Grant size: Up to £15,000

Length: Up to one year

Location: Priority will be given to historic buildings in towns across England

Organisation type: Charities and not-for-profit organisations, including social enterprises

Funding covers: Project costs and overheads

Project stage: RIBA Plan of Work stage 0 - 2

Match-funding: Preferred, but not essential

 

We are currently offering grants of up to £15,000 to support early-stage work on historic building projects.

These grants should help you to establish whether a project is viable. Work will probably focus on understanding the condition of the building, how it might be used, and whether that intended use is appropriate for the building and likely to be sustainable.

 

Project Development Grants

Grant size: Up to £100,000

Length: Up to one year

Location: Priority will be given to historic buildings in towns across England

Organisation type: Charities and not-for-profit organisations, including social enterprises

Funding covers: Project costs and overheads

Project stage: RIBA Plan of Work stage 2 - 4

Match-funding: Minimum 10% match funding is required

 

We are currently offering grants of up to £100,000 to support development work on historic building projects. Please note that the average grant is likely to be £70,000 - £80,000.

Project Development Grants can contribute towards the costs of developing and co-ordinating your 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.

 

Capital Grants

Grant size: Up to £350,000

Length: Up to one year

Location: Priority will be given to historic buildings in towns across England

Organisation type: Charities and not-for-profit organisations, including social enterprises

Funding covers: Project costs and overheads

Project stage: RIBA Plan of Work stage 5 - 6

Match-funding: Minimum 20% match funding is required

 

Please note: Further information and guidance specific to Heritage Revival Fund Capital Grants will be issued 12 May 2025. Please wait until this guidance is issued before contacting us about these grants or submitting an EOI.

The deadline for expressions of interest will be 27 June 2025. The deadline for Capital Grant applications will be 29 September 2025, for a decision in December 2025.

Enquire and Apply

Please follow these steps to apply to us for funding.

  1. Check you are eligible here
  2. Read our Programme Guidance.
  3. Complete our short online Expression of Interest form. You can submit this anytime and will hear the outcome within 6 weeks. 
  4. If your organisation and project are eligible and appear to be a good fit with our priorities, we will invite you to submit a full application and send you a link to the online application form. Our Application Help Notes will help you to complete this.
  5. If you are applying for a grant of up to £30,000, we will let you know if your bid has been successful 2 - 3 months after receiving your second stage application. If your application is unsuccessful, we will provide feedback.
  6. If you are applying for more than £30,000, your application will be considered at a quarterly Grants Panel meeting.

 

Deadlines for submission of all grant applications to be considered at Grants Panel are: 

21 April 2025 for a decision in June 2025

14 July 2025 for a decision in September 2025

13 October 2025 for a decision in December 2025

19 January 2026 for a decision in March 2026

Grant Offers

Please follow click here for a list of our grant offers.

The AHF has signed up to #FlexibleFunders; a community of funders committed to open and trusting practices in grant making by:

  •  Making grants in a way that reflects the realities facing VCSE organisations now and for the foreseeable future.

  • Managing grants and relationships in a way that reflects our confidence in and respect for the organisations we fund.

    For more information about #Flexible Funders, click here.