1 Is your grant request above £50,000?
We do not give grants for £50,000 or less under this grant programme.
2 Does your project focus on the local, regional or national heritage of the UK?
Heritage includes many different things from the past that we value and want to pass on to future generations. To apply for a grant under the Heritage Grant programme you need a project that clearly focuses on heritage. Your project can be based on non-physical heritage, such as language or cultural traditions or on physical heritage, such as species, habitat, land, site, building, collection or archive.
3 Does your project meet our aims?
We have three aims which relate to learning, conservation and participation. Your project does not have to meet all three aims to apply for a grant, but must meet the first one learning. You will also need to meet either one or both of the other two aims – conservation and/or participation.
4 Will your project help people to learn about their own and other people’s heritage?
To meet our aims all projects must give people the opportunity for learning about their heritage. Will your project
• provide information about your heritage and interpret it for people, for example exhibitions, displays, audio-visual material, new technology; or
• create opportunities for people to gain new or increased skills, for example will you project provide training, enable people to learn new skills; or
• help people or groups to learn about their heritage through events or activities, for example open days, workshops, walks, on-site sessions for schools, activities for young people or older people.
5 Will your project preserve and protect our heritage?
For projects meeting our conservation aim to conserve (protect and manage) the heritage your project could include repairs to a building or monument, conservation work to an archive or collection, restoring a landscape, park or habitat, or conserve a large transport item such as a historic ship. The work could also include surveys, recording, analysis or research to help you understand the heritage better.
6 Will your project give opportunities for people to take part in your project?
For projects meeting our participation aim to give people opportunities to increase and broaden the level of participation in your heritage, your project could:
• create opportunities for people to volunteer in your project; or
• hold activities to reach a wider audience; or
• involve your community and/or people in identifying, sharing and caring for your heritage, for example recording people’s memories or experiences to help you understand your heritage, involving people in surveying or recording species or sites to help you decide how to manage your heritage, or a community archaeological dig.
7 Can you raise part of your project costs from your own and other sources?
You must be able to raise part of your project costs from your own or other sources. If you are applying for a grant of less than £1million you must provide at least 10% of the project costs. If you are applying for a grant of £1million or more, you must provide at least 25% of the project costs.
Whether you are contributing 10% or 25%, 5% of the total costs of your project must be from your own organisation’s resources, either in cash or in kind. Non-cash contributions can include goods or services offered without charge, and volunteer time.
8 Are you a single organisation or a partnership?
We welcome applications from single organisations and partnerships. We give priority to not-for-profit organisations and partnerships. If private owners are involved we expect the public benefit to be greater than any private gain.
If you have answered YES to the questions above you may meet our criteria for funding under this programme. Read the Introduction to the Heritage Grants programme and the Help notes for more information. Then send in a pre-application enquiry form online or send it by post to your regional or country office for advice on what to do next.