Heritage craftsman replaces a hand-carved brick in a Tudor brick chimney, that is sculpted as if it is twisting around. The craftsman is wearing a facemask and the chimney is surrounded by scaffolding.
Conservation to the Tudor chimneys of the Landmark Trust's Warden Abbey © Historic England
Conservation to the Tudor chimneys of the Landmark Trust's Warden Abbey © Historic England

Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage Round 3

Part of the government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, £300 million will be distributed to culture and heritage organisations across the country, to provide emergency funding and help them to build a sustainable future. As part of this, we’re delivering a second round of the Heritage Stimulus Fund, as well as working with the National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver the Culture Recovery Fund Round 3 Resource Grants.

In this second round of the Heritage Stimulus Fund, Historic England is distributing vital funding to help stimulate the economy via capital repair works to important heritage tourist attractions, boosting the visitor economy and revitalising decaying historic buildings. Grants will be awarded through two schemes: Grants for Programmes of Major Works and Major Repairs for Heritage at Risk.

Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage: Resource Grants

We’re working with the National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver two new funds that will provide crucial financial support to heritage organisations across the country. The Emergency Resource Support aims to provide emergency funding for organisations who are at imminent risk of failure, and the Continuity Support fund will boost those that have already received support from the Culture Recovery Fund.

The Emergency Resource Support was originally open from 7 July 2021 to 30 September 2021. To continue to support the sector throughout the winter period, the Emergency Resource Support programme has been reopened. This will give more organisations at imminent risk of financial failure an opportunity to bid for support, protecting even more organisations so that they can continue to create jobs and contribute to the economy.

This scheme closed to Expressions of Interest on Tuesday 18 January 2022 and full applications on Thursday 3 February 2022

Read the Emergency Resource Support Guidance

The Continuity Support fund closed to applications on 29 October 2021.

Apply for the Continuity Support fund

Heritage Stimulus Fund Round 2: Grants for Programmes of Major Works

Through a second round of Grants for Programmes of Major Works, around £30 million in grants will be distributed between national organisations that manage a portfolio of designated heritage assets that are open to the public.

This fund will support the repair and improvement of nationally significant historic buildings and designed landscapes across the country during 2021 and 2022.

Applications will be invited for grants of a minimum of £1 million for either:

  • Stream 1: A single organisation to fund a programme of projects to a national portfolio of heritage properties managed primarily as visitor attractions that are:
    • publicly accessible for 28 days or more per year
    • where the eligible costs for each individual capital repair project exceeds £30,000, including any irrecoverable VAT
    • where funding contracts will be between Historic England and the applicant organisation
  • Stream 2: A representative body with delegated authority to make an application on behalf of a number of nationally spread organisations/individuals with legal responsibility for the repair of heritage attractions that are:
    • listed Grade I or II*, including parks and gardens registered at Grade I or II* or are scheduled monuments National Heritage List for England that are
    • publicly accessible for 28 days or more per year
    • for capital projects where the eligible costs must exceed £250,000, including irrecoverable VAT, with no more than one project per site
    • where funding contracts will be between Historic England and the organisations/individuals with legal responsibility for the repair of the individual sites
  • Stream 3: A delivery partner with a strong track record to distribute a programme of heritage repair grants to a nationally spread group of organisations/individuals with legal responsibility for the repair of heritage attractions that are:
    • listed Grade I or II*, including parks and gardens registered at Grade I or II* or are Scheduled Monuments on the National Heritage List for England
    • publicly accessible for 28 days or more per year
    • where funding contracts will be between Historic England and the delivery partner. The delivery partner shall then enter into separate funding contracts with each organisation or individual who has been awarded funding.
  • National Trust
  • Friends of Friendless Churches
  • Historic Royal Palaces
  • Churches Conservation Trust
  • Landmark Trust
  • Canal & River Trust
  • English Heritage Trust
  • Treasure Houses England
  • Historic Houses
  • Catholic Trust
  • Historic Houses Foundation
  • Church of England

Apply for Grants for Programmes of Major Works

  • The scheme closed to applications for Stream 1 & 2 on the 22 July 2021 and for Stream 3 applications on the 5 August 2021.
  • Please read the guidance for applicants
  • For further enquiries contact [email protected]

Download the application forms:

Heritage Stimulus Fund Round 2: Major Repairs for Heritage at Risk

Funding of around £5 million will be distributed through our existing Repair Grants for Heritage at Risk scheme in 2021/22 to organisations already in receipt of a grant, where additional funding is needed, or to projects already identified as a priority for urgent funding and where discussions with applicants are well advanced. This fund will focus on bringing historic buildings back into use in areas where it is most needed to help improve people’s lives.

Suitable applicants were invited to apply by Historic England and the Fund has closed.