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
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
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
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