AHF launches Heritage Development Trust Pilot grant

The AHF is today launching the ‘Heritage Development Trust Pilot’ grant. This grant forms part of the Transforming Places Through Heritage programme which will contribute to the transformation of high streets and town centres in England by supporting charities and social enterprises to develop sustainable new uses for redundant or underused historic buildings.

The aim of this pilot grant is to enable organisations leading heritage led regeneration projects to make a step-change in their activities, support their long-term sustainability, and create a meaningful legacy in their communities. This grant will assist organisations taking a multi-project approach to restoring and managing historic building assets, in securing new forms of social investment and developing new ownership models. We are describing organisations developing such an approach as ‘Heritage Development Trusts’.

At the end of the funding period we expect the organisations will have completed at least one town centre historic building regeneration project and have a clear action plan for acquiring more heritage assets to add to its portfolio. We also anticipate organisations will have diversified and grown their income streams, developed partnerships with a range of local stakeholders and will be in a position to play a bigger role in delivering heritage regeneration, over the long-term, in their communities.

The successful organisations will share the knowledge and lessons they will have learnt with the heritage sector as a whole.

A grant of up to £50,000 is available each year, over three years, to each successful organisation. This can be spent on revenue costs, including employing new staff, undertaking development studies or funding overheads. The deadline for applications is 18th October 2019. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their applications in December 2019.