Emergency grants to help fund urgent maintenance, repairs and investigations at historic sites and buildings across England due to the impact of the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak.
Funding body: Historic England
Maximum value: £ 25,000
Application deadline: None specified
Background
Historic England is the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. It does this by:
- Championing historic places.
- Identifying and protecting heritage.
- Supporting change.
- Understanding historic places.
- Providing expertise at a local level.
This is the second fund launched by Historic England to help the heritage sector recover from the effects of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. The first fund launched is closed to applications now.
Objectives of Fund
This £3 million temporary funding stream is available for project development works, minor repairs and maintenance to some of the most significant sites in England. These works will make use of the important, highly skilled businesses that form a key part of the heritage sector and address some of the most urgent needs of England’s historic environment.
The work funded will help heritage sites reopen to the public and thrive once again as quickly as possible – subject to coronavirus/COVID-19 restrictions. The business generated will help heritage specialists who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Value Notes
Grants of up to £25,000 (plus any irrecoverable VAT) per property are available.
Match Funding Restrictions
It is expected that grant recipients will contribute towards the project costs from their own resources where they are able to.
Historic England aims to provide enough grant funding to enable the project to go ahead. In exceptional cases, it will consider offering a grant up to a maximum of £25,000 (plus any recoverable VAT).
Who Can Apply
Applications will be accepted from owners, leaseholders (with a 21 year full repairing lease), and charitable bodies and trustees responsible for the maintenance and repair of:
- Buildings and structures listed at Grade I and II*, that are publicly accessible for a minimum of 28 days per year
- Buildings and structures listed at Grade II that are publicly accessible for a minimum of 28 days per year only if they are situated in either a conservation area and are a significant component of the character of that conservation area;
- or in a Grade I or II* registered park and garden
- Scheduled monuments that are publicly accessible for a minimum of 28 days per year
Location
England
Restrictions
Applicants should contact Historic England for restrictions.
Eligible Expenditure
This funding is only for work that is urgently required and cannot proceed in the next 12 months without this funding. The work funded must be started before 31 October 2020 and be completed by 30 September 2021.
In order to ensure the grant funding is focused on those most affected by COVID-19, priority will be given to applications seeking funding for:
- Work required to address damage or deterioration exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis and not fully covered by insurance; or
- Maintenance or minor repairs required prior to reopening a building or monument to the public following a period of closure due to lockdown.
The grants can be used for:
- Urgent minor repairs and/or maintenance work needed within the next 12 months to reduce the risk of loss or damage.
- Project development work to understand the site and/or inform repair work necessary within the next 12 months. This can include condition or investigative surveys, specifications and drawings for a repair project or a tender process to find a contractor.
- Temporary measures or holding repairs; such as putting up scaffolding and / or temporary propping to prevent a structure collapsing or temporary roofing and weather protection.
- Consolidation works associated with standing masonry and structures.
- Specialised tasks, for example broken/damaged stained glass windows.
- Preliminary costs associated with any of the above.
- Professional fees.
- Irrecoverable VAT.
- Works insurance.
How To Apply
Guidance notes and the Expression of Interest form are available to download from the Historic England website.
This is a competitive scheme for which there is a two-stage application process:
Expression of interest stage – submission deadline 28 June 2020
Full application stage – application deadline 31 August 2020
Useful Links
Historic England – COVID-19 Emergency Heritage at Risk Response Fund