Transforming Places through Heritage – report on two years of grant-making

We are delighted to share the latest report on Transforming Places through Heritage – the Architectural Heritage Fund’s main grants and capacity building programme in England. Funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the programme supports charities and social enterprises leading projects to develop new uses for vacant or underused historic buildings in town and city centres across England.

In the two years since the first awards in 2019, we have made 224 grant offers to 184 different projects, with total investment of more than £9 million. Our funding has helped projects secure investment from other funding bodies and supported crowdfunding campaigns and community share offers. Despite the impact of Covid, the programme is on track to deliver its overall objectives.

Gavin Richards, AHF’s Programme Manager for Transforming Places through Heritage, said:

"This report highlights the important role that not-for-profit organisations can play in the revival of high streets and town centres, with support from the Transforming Places through Heritage programme. Throughout the Covid pandemic, we have continued to receive grant applications from local groups for testing out and developing new ideas for heritage assets in their communities. Most grants have been for listed buildings and the range reflects the diversity of our historic town centres – town halls, department stores, libraries, theatres, bank branches, pubs and churches, to name a few. After the pandemic, the kind of projects we are supporting through this programme will help offer an alternative vision for the future of the high street."