NHMF is a fund of last resort, supported by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which was set up in 1980 to act in memory of people who have given their lives for the United Kingdom. The NHMF can provide grants and sometimes loans which help with the acquisition, preservation and maintenance of land, buildings and works of art and other objects which are of outstanding importance to the national heritage. This must be under some threat of loss or damage, or relate to the original purpose of the Fund – to commemorate those who gave their lives.
The greater part of our funding goes towards buying items which might otherwise be lost to public museum or archive collections in the UK. If you apply to us, you need to show how your proposed purchase is of outstanding importance and interest, the extent to which it is at risk, and why you need funds from the NHMF to secure it.
WHO CAN APPLY
Charities (voluntary and public) and not-for-profit organisations of all sizes, whose main purposes include preserving cultural or built heritage or conserving the natural heritage, can apply for grants. Private individuals and commercial businesses cannot apply. The owner or potential owner of the items must be either the person applying or willing to be involved in the grant contract.
For more information, please call the information line on (+44) 0207 591 6042
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WHAT CAN BE FUNDED
We can help buy:
historic buildings and land;
works of fine and decorative art;
museum collections;
archives;
manuscripts; and
items of transport and industrial history.
With the exception of historic buildings and structures (because there are already sources of funding available) we can sometimes help with conserving and restoring a heritage asset which is at risk. This however is not a priority for the Fund.
We will not fund:
yearly revenue funding;
day-to-day running costs or maintenance;
the costs of payroll staff;
development studies;
research projects;
costs which have already been spent;
costs of general furniture, fittings and equipment.
In very exceptional cases of need, we may consider endowment funding.
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CRITERIA FOR PROJECTS
The item you want to buy, or your project, will need to meet the following criteria to be eligible for a grant.
A: Importance to the national heritage
Your project must be concerned with buying, maintaining or preserving land, buildings, objects or collections that are of particular importance to the national heritage. We do not give a definition for ‘national heritage’; you will need to explain why you believe an item is important to the national heritage. The significance of heritage items may reflect the fact that they have been in this country for many years and so have a historical connection with the United Kingdom. The items may have a commemorative aspect or set a marker in history. They may be associated with this country or a famous person or be an important part of an historic event, movement or trend. Or, the items could represent a technological achievement or an important period in industrial history. The item may simply have a secure and familiar place in our way of life. However, we will not normally consider items which are less than 20 years old, since for most items it is difficult to judge national importance without hindsight.
B: Outstanding interest
Items must be of outstanding importance to the heritage of the United Kingdom. For example:
Land of outstanding scientific, scenic or historic interest, or land that you have to buy to protect an outstanding building or area of historic interest.
Buildings or structures of outstanding architectural, historic or scientific interest
Objects of outstanding historic, artistic, archaeological or scientific interest. These include works of fine or decorative art, textiles, books, manuscripts and objects relating to our industrial and transport heritage.
Collections where it is important to keep an outstanding collection or group of objects together.
C: At risk
You will need to show that the heritage item you want to buy is at risk and there is a genuine worry that it is going to be damaged, developed in an inappropriate way or exported. You do not have to show this if the item very clearly has a clear connection with those who have given their lives for the United Kingdom (see F: “Memorial Character”).
If you apply to us for funding towards buying land, buildings or structures, objects or collections, you need to show that it will be for the purpose of keeping the heritage asset permanently. If you buy land, buildings or structures, you should normally have a freehold interest or a lease which has 99 years left to run.
D: Costs and whether your proposal is realistic
You will need to provide evidence that will assure us that the project costs based on the expected value of the item are realistic. If you are buying items, we do not normally support a purchase above market value. Your application must include an independent valuation of the item which gives a detailed explanation of the reasoning behind the assessment of the item’s market value. We will also normally get an independent valuation on this basis. Please ask us for more advice if you need it. Our application pack also contains a sheet giving you a summary of the tax-relief opportunities if you are buying from private owners.
You will need to explain the long-term plans – both operational and financial – of your organisation or project and show that you can provide appropriate care for the heritage item in the future.
If there are capital works, we need to see full and accurate estimates. In the interests of getting value for money, we expect all organisations which receive a grant from us to get competitive tenders for quotes for work and service contracts relating to the project. You will also need to follow the European Union Procurement Regulations, if these are relevant to your project.
E: Financial need
We are essentially a ‘last resort’. So, you should make sure that you have tried to get funding from all other likely sources first. There are no rules for partnership funding, but because we have limited resources, we will only pay for the total cost of a project or acquisition in exceptional cases. For public collections, we will assess your financial need based on your acquisitions budget and other funding opportunities.
We will want to look carefully at how urgent any repair and conservation proposals are. We will take into account, among other factors, whether there are other solutions to the problem that may mean you do not need a grant.
Your acquisition or project may also meet the following other standards for the National Heritage Memorial Fund
F: Memorial character
The fund was set up in memory of those who gave their lives for this country. So, we give special consideration to items or projects which, as well as being of importance to the national heritage and of outstanding interest, are connected with those who have given or risked their lives for the United Kingdom or, which have a particular ‘memorial’ character. If this applies, you should highlight it in your application and show how the item is memorial.
G: Public access
We ask you to tell us how the public will have access to your project or items. In examining the information you provide, we will bear in mind:
the number of people who will have access; the number of days a year the item is displayed; and the level of any entry charges.
We appreciate the sometimes too many people visiting will do harm to, or put at risk a heritage item.
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