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New £7m loan and social investment fund to secure the future of the UK’s historic buildings

14 February 2019
UK

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), the specialist lender to the UK’s heritage projects, is delighted to launch a new £7m social investment fund to enable organisations to deliver economic and social impact from the re-use of the UK’s heritage buildings. 

The Heritage Impact Fund is a partnership, the first of its kind, with contributions from the AHF (£1.42m), the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£2.25m), Historic England (£800k), Historic Environment Scotland (£427k) and Cadw (£100k). Additionally, Rathbone Greenbank Investments will provide investment management and loan facilities to the AHF.

The Heritage Impact Fund offers tailored loan finance for charities, social enterprises and community businesses across the UK seeking to acquire, reuse or redevelop buildings of historical or architectural importance. These buildings may be listed, in a conservation area, or may be of special significance to the community. Loan amounts will be up to £500,000 per project with a maximum three-year term, which can be extended in exceptional circumstances.  

As well as helping deliver projects that support the sustainability of historic buildings, the Heritage Impact Fund will support organisations with a clear social mission seeking to deliver demonstrable local economic and community impact. 

Matthew Mckeague, Chief Executive, The Architectural Heritage Fund, said:

“The Heritage Impact Fund is our first partnership loan fund and the first of its kind for the heritage sector. We are extremely pleased to be launching the fund alongside our partners. 

The Heritage Impact Fund is designed to be flexible, supporting not-for-profit organisations both within and outside the heritage sector, the common link being the re-use of a heritage building and delivering local economic and social benefits. 

The fund can be used for almost any type of loan to support a project - from working capital during the construction phase, to capital to grow the scope of a business or to finance to acquire a property.”   

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

Over the past 25 years, money raised by people who buy National Lottery tickets has profoundly changed how we view and engage with the UK’s exceptionally varied heritage.  In recent years we’ve seen a growing appetite in the heritage world to make use of loans and other social investments in order to diversify income, strengthen business models and reduce reliance on grants.  This partnership is the first of the strategic initiatives arising from our new Strategic Funding Framework.  It represents an important opportunity to make National Lottery investment in heritage work harder and deliver positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future.”

For the first time, the AHF will also be able to provide assistance to borrowers with evaluating and assessing the impact of their projects. The Heritage Impact Fund will also offer incentivised rates for projects that deliver significant economic or social impact, or which can be expanded upon as a result of the AHF’s assistance. Impact will naturally vary from project to project but it is expected to include new job creation, the creation of training and volunteering opportunities and the restoration and re-use of heritage buildings for a variety of commercial and community uses.

Alongside the Fund, the AHF is launching a new business support service – RePlan – that will provide access to pro bono expertise, expert advice and guidance to those organisations that would benefit from targeted capacity building support, assistance with business transformation, transition or expansion. Based on AHF’s experience of when projects need most support, RePlan will be particularly targeted at organisations completing a capital project or looking to build upon or scale-up their existing enterprises.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: 

“Historic England is delighted to be continuing its long-term support of the Architectural Heritage Fund with the Heritage Impact Fund. Community organisations and social enterprises are playing an increasingly innovative and important role in helping historic places to thrive and to benefit local people.  By our partnership in this work we are helping public money go further and supporting sustainable businesses.”  

Further information on the Heritage Impact Fund application process, criteria for applying and the terms of the loan are available from the AHF Investment Team on 020 7925 0199 or via the website on ahfund.org.uk/hif

A case study on how an AHF loan has helped Gorton Monastery can be found here.

Notes to Editors

About the Architectural Heritage Fund

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a registered charity, working since 1976 to promote the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK. The AHF does this by providing advice, information and financial assistance in the form of early project grants and social investment by way of loans and community share purchases for projects undertaken by charities and not-for-profit organisations. www.ahfund.org.uk

Since the 1970s AHF has awarded loans with a total value of £125m to over 900 heritage projects across the UK and has disbursed more than 1,200 individual early project grants totalling over £10m.   

About the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Using money raised by the National Lottery, the National Lottery Heritage Fund Inspire, Lead and Resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.HeritageFund.org.uk

Follow @HeritageFundUK on TwitterFacebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund  

About Historic England

Historic England is the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops. We protect, champion and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them. Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.
www.historicengland.org.uk

About Historic Environment Scotland 

Historic Environment Scotland is a non-departmental public body with charitable status established to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment. They are governed by a Board of Trustees, who were appointed by Scottish Ministers. They are responsible for more than 300 properties of national importance. Buildings and monuments in their care include Edinburgh Castle, Skara Brae, Fort George and numerous smaller sites, which together draw more than 3 million visitors per year.

They invest about £14 million a year in national and local organisations, supporting building repairs, ancient monuments, archaeological work, the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme and the voluntary sector. Its conservation experts provide guidance, training and technical research into Scotland’s built environment. Through its outreach programme, they promote community and individual learning engagement with Scotland’s heritage.
www.hes.scot

About Cadw

Cadw is the Welsh Government’s historic environment service working for an accessible and well-protected historic environment for Wales. Cadw is a Welsh word meaning ‘to keep’ or ‘to protect’. It was established to conserve Wales’s heritage, help understand and care about their history, and help sustain the distinctive character of Wales.
www.cadw.gov.wales

About Rathbone Greenbank Investments

Rathbone Greenbank Investments provides personalised and professional investment services for investors who wish to ensure that their investments take account of their environmental, social and ethical concerns.  Greenbank manages over £1.2 billion funds (as at 30 September 2018) for individuals, charities, other not-for-profit organisations, trusts, and pension funds and is part of Rathbone Investment Management Ltd.
www.rathbonegreenbank.com 

 

Media enquiries & interviews

For all media enquiries including interviews, please contact Marcus Stanton:

E. marcus@marcusstanton.co.uk

M. 07900 891287

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