The National Lottery Heritage Fund has resumed accepting small and medium project funding applications and launched an interest free loans pilot.
This is the first phase of a two-stage resumption of the National Lottery Grants for Heritage, which closed in March this year as a result of Covid-19. It is not, however, a return to business as usual.
The first phase of reopening – grants between £3,000 to £10,000 and £10,000 to £100,000 – focuses on supporting organisational resilience and inclusion. It is not available for capital works.
There are no deadlines for submitting applications; the first decision meeting will take place in mid-January. For full details and application guidance visit: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/news/new-project-funding-and-loans-support-sector-resilience
From February 2021, the Heritage Fund will resume accepting applications from £100,000-£250,000 and £250,000-£5m. It isn’t clear yet when capital funding will be available. Planning for phase 2 will be taking place over the coming weeks. The CEO’s blog from early November gives a steer about what the priorities will include. You can read it at https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/blogs/were-backing-heritage-sector-adapt-and-thrive-again
In the meantime, the advice regarding church repairs is to look at other sources of funding on a more piecemeal basis, rather than to store up repair works to turn into a large project. We realise this isn’t easy as other funding streams are experiencing increased demand and often require considerable match-funding, but it is still possible to find support for maintenance and small repair project.
Please contact the Buildings Team for more advice on grants.
https://www.elydiocese.org/parish-support/church-buildings/contact-the-team/