The Heritage Lottery Fund provides grants to support heritage projects and conservation efforts in the United Kingdom. They fund public and not-for-profit organizations, as well as some private owners. Projects are evaluated based on their outcomes for heritage, people, and communities. Grants are available for a variety of purposes and amounts, including general programs from £3,000-£10,000, larger heritage grants from £100,000 and up, and targeted programs like start-up grants and heritage enterprise grants to fund conservation of historic buildings. Funded projects must demonstrate benefits like improved heritage management, new skills, and economic impacts.

2. Heritage Lottery Fund

3. What is heritage?

4. Public and
constituted
not-for-profit
organisations
such as:
– Community or voluntary groups
– Youth clubs or organisations
– Charities or trusts
– Faith organisations
– Parish councils or local authorities
Also:
– Private owners in cases of clear public
benefit (‘Our Heritage’ programme)
Who do we fund?

5. What we look for – Project Outcomes
This is the difference your project will achieve with
HLF funding. The change made for:
– Heritage,
– People, and/or
– Communities.
We outline 14 outcomes in total but the outcomes are
proportionate to the level of funding requested, we
don’t expect you to achieve them all!

6. Outcomes for…
Heritage People Communities
•Better managed
•In better condition
•Better interpreted
and explained
•Identified/
recorded
•Developed skills
•Learnt about
heritage
•Changed their
attitudes and/or
behaviour
•Had an enjoyable
experience
•Volunteered time
•Environmental impacts will be
reduced
•More people and a wider
range of people will have
engaged with heritage
•Your local area/ community
will be a better place to live,
work or visit
•Your local economy will be
boosted
•Your organisation will be
more resilient

7. General Grant Programmes

8. • One, short application form
• Assessment takes 8-10 weeks
• No minimum partnership
funding but some
contribution welcome
• minimum of
- one outcome for people.
Sharing Heritage
£3,000 - £10,000

9. • One, short application form
• Assessment takes 8-10 weeks
• No minimum partnership
funding but some
contribution - in cash or in kind
• Minimum of one outcome for
- heritage
- people
• Mentors
Our Heritage
£10,000 to £100,000

10. • Two round application process for
all Heritage Grants
• Minimum of one outcome for
heritage
people
communities
• Partnership funding required; 5%
for grants under £1 million and
10% for grants of £1 million
upwards
• Local committee make decisions
on awards between
£100,000 and £2 million
Heritage Grants
Grants of £100,000 and over

11. St Margaret Church
St Margaret's Community
Trust Ltd
Awarded: £794,900
The grade II listed church will be
repaired and opened as a new
community facility. Local
volunteers are being trained to
carry out local history research
which will be collected together in
a permanent archive. A website,
interpretation panels, guided
walks, educational programmes,
talks and publications will also be
produced.

12. Targeted Grant Programmes

13. • One short form, 8-10 week
decision.
• Create a new organisation to
look after or engage people
with heritage
• For existing groups taking on
new responsibility for heritage
• Build capacity of a new friends
group
• Outcomes
- better managed
- developed skills
- organisation more
resilient
Start-up Grants
£3,000 - £10,000

14. • Tackling early stage planning
• Determining the right strategy for the heritage (options
appraisal)
• Getting legal advice
• Community consultation
• Developing skills within your organisation
• Research to inform future plans for the heritage asset
• Advice on business planning
• Condition survey
• Advice on a suitable constitution
• Viability appraisal for Heritage Enterprise grant
Examples of what Start-up grants can fund

15. Grants of £100,000 - £5million
• Unlock the economic impact of
neglected historic buildings/sites
• Needs to have a Commercial
end use
• Conservation deficit
• Encourages private involvement
• Partnership funding required
towards conservation deficit; 5%
for grants under £1 million and
10% for grants of
£1 million upwards
Heritage Enterprise

16. Other features of Heritage Enterprise
• Has to meet 7 specific outcomes:
– Heritage will be better managed
– Heritage will be in better condition
– People will have developed skills
– People will have learnt about heritage
– Environmental impacts will be reduced
– Your local area/ community will be a better place to live, work or
visit
– Your local economy will be boosted

17. Other features of Heritage Enterprise
• Heritage at risk
• Formally designated (e.g. listed building) – may consider
undesignated assets
• Areas of the UK experiencing economic disadvantage
• No requirement for public access after project ends
• 2 round application process
• Viability appraisal at first round

18. Conservation deficit calculation
Market value of completed
development
Initial Value Cost of undertaking the development
Conservation Deficit
Increased value

19. Northern Counties
Inner City Building
Preservation Trust Ltd
Awarded: £784,400
Project to conserve this listed
building at risk and turn it into a 4
star boutique hotel and restaurant.
The project will create 45 jobs,
provide training opportunities in
historic building skills and deliver
a series of learning activities, talks
and tours about the history of the
building.

20. How can the development team help?
• Provide advice and support – Project Enquiry Form
• Workshops in our office every month
• www.hlf.org.uk
• Twitter @HLFWestMids

21. Liz Shaw
0121 616 6879 LizS@hlf.org.uk
Peter Morgan
0121 616 6874 Peter.Morgan@hlf.org.uk
Laura Birkett
0121 616 6883 BirkettL@hlf.org.uk
Catherine Kemp
0121 616 6882 catherine.kemp@hlf.org.uk
Contact Us