The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is delighted to announce a two-year extension of its Tailored Support Fund in Scotland, thanks to generous funding of £220,000 from the William Grant Foundation (WGF).
The AHF provides a unique mixture of advice, early-stage grants and social investment loans to help non-profit organisations find sustainable new uses for the historic buildings that communities want to see re-used. Since 2019, the Tailored Support Fund has supported a diverse range of projects across Scotland which relate to the re-use of a historic building. Projects applying to this fund are generally characterised by a strong community-led ethos; a desire to give new purpose to a building valued locally for its architectural heritage; or plans which demonstrate strong social, economic, or environmental benefits that help meet local need.
Thanks to this new two-year agreement, AHF will continue its Tailored Support Fund from April 2023 with grants of up to £10,000 available. This funding could, for example, be used in situations where an unexpected cost arises, or emergency repairs are required; support meanwhile uses, or other physical enabling works that help sustain the development of a larger project; and support projects or aspects of a project that are particularly innovative or possibly hard to fund through other sources.
Examples of projects already benefitting from the WGF Tailored Support Fund include:
Borrodale School, Glendale, Isle of Skye: a project to re-purpose a former unlisted primary school for affordable housing; in so doing to create a replicable design solution for retrofitting vernacular buildings with low carbon materials and technologies - a model for use elsewhere.
Annan harbour warehouse, Annan, Dumfries and Galloway: a community-led project to conserve an unlisted vernacular building as part of a major project to revitalise and reconnect the historic harbour with the town; the warehouse will provide a centre for recreational activities and visitor accommodation.
For more information on the Tailored Support Fund and how to apply, please visit the Scotland page.
Gordon Barr, the AHF's Scotland Development Manager, said:
“Over the last few years we have found the flexibility afforded by the Tailored Support Fund really powerful, since it allows us to support projects involving the regeneration of historic buildings in the heart of communities that we would not otherwise be able to fund. We are delighted that our relationship with the William Grant Foundation is set to continue for the next two years and look forward to seeing what new projects we will be able to support as a result.”
Nick Addington, Chief Executive of the William Grant Foundation, said:
“The Foundation recognises the important role that communities around Scotland are making in saving and securing heritage assets that are important to local people. We are delighted to continue working in partnership with the Architectural Heritage Fund on the Tailored Support Fund for another 2-years. We hope that this will help many more local groups to realise their ambitions to save and safeguard their unique local heritage, and to generate meaningful future uses for it in ways that contribute to the social and economic prosperity of their communities.”
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