Listed here is a range of guidance notes to help you to develop your application and project.
First steps
These are short introductory notes designed to help groups planning applications to our Your Heritage programme.
First steps in conservation: English | Welsh
First steps in participation: English | Welsh
First steps in learning: English | Welsh
First steps in evaluation: English | Welsh
First steps in working with young people: English | Welsh
Thinking about
These notes give more detailed guidance for larger projects and applications to our Heritage Grants programme and larger targeted programmes: Townscape Heritage Initiative, Landscape Partnerships and Parks for People.
Conservation
Conservation: English | Welsh
Buying heritage items and collections: English | Welsh
Buying land and buildings: English | Welsh
Participation
Audience development: English | Welsh
Community participation English | Welsh
Volunteering: English | Welsh
Learning
Interpretation: English | Welsh
Learning: English | Welsh
Training: English | Welsh
Heritage Topics
Archaeology English | Welsh
Arts and Heritage English | Welsh
Archives, people and communities English | Welsh
Language Heritage English | Welsh
Oral History English | Welsh
Other
Improving your project for disabled people English | Welsh
General
Incorporating the Welsh language into your project English | Welsh
Heritage Grants guidance notes
The documents below are designed to help you plan your application under the Heritage Grants programme. Some of them are essential reading - the notes explain who needs to refer to which guidance.
For all applicants
You will need to submit an activity plan as part of your second-round application so must read this guidance, which includes a proforma template for your action plan.
Planning activities in heritage projects
If you receive a grant, you will need to submit an evaluation report with your completion report before we release the final 10% of your grant. We strongly encourage you to include evaluation in your project costs and can contribute between 1 and 3% of grant towards evaluation.
Evaluating your HLF project
For all capital/conservation projects
We have set out our minimum expectations on a range of ‘greening’ and resource-use issues. This guidance includes a summary table of what these are at different financial thresholds. It is designed primarily for applicants preparing capital projects but some sections (biodiversity, visitor transport) are relevant to a wider range of projects.
Planning greener heritage projects: English | Welsh
Sustainable timber procurement (supplementary information)
For capital/conservation projects over £200,000
If your project involves a grant request over £1 million or includes different kinds of heritage that are all important in their own right, we will ask you for a conservation statement at the first round and a full conservation management plan at the second round.
Conservation management planning: English | Welsh
If your project involves more than £200,000 worth of capital and conservation works and your grant request is less than £1 million, we will ask you to prepare a ten-year management and maintenance plan and submit it with your second-round application form.
Management and maintenance planning
For voluntary sector applicants
For voluntary-sector applicants who want to claim a portion of their core costs as part of their grant request.
Understanding full cost recovery: English | Welsh
For larger projects
Under our Heritage Grants programme (grants over £50,000) we do not ask for a separate business plan with your application, as most of the information we need is included in the application form. However, if you are planning a large project (grant over £1 million), or a project that is dependent on generating an additional revenue stream for financial sustainability, you will need to demonstrate how you have arrived at your income forecasts with your second-round application.
Financial appraisal for heritage projects English | Welsh
Guidance Archive
The above guidance is designed to support new applications under all programmes from now on. We also have a guidance archive to help applicants who applied before 31 March 2008 (30 June 2008 for Your Heritage and Young Roots) and need to continue to develop their projects to meet the requirements of our old programmes.
Lotteryfunding website
The Lottery Funding website provides short advice notes on project planning and management.