Heritage at Risk Capital Fund
The Heritage at Risk Capital Fund is a special 1-year, £15 million fund to give grants to heritage at risk, helping people to save the historic sites in England that are most important to them.
What are the grants under this scheme for?
Under this scheme, we can give grants for the conservation, repair and conversion of listed buildings of all grades, historic buildings in conservation areas, registered parks and gardens and scheduled monuments.
The scheme focuses on supporting people in our most deprived communities – indices of deprivation 1 to 3. We can consider grants from projects outside these areas where it is clearly shown that the project is serving deprived communities.
We will be supporting projects that have strong benefits for the local community, saving buildings and sites important to them. As this is a 1-year scheme, the funding from us needs to be spent by the end of March 2026.
How to apply
For this scheme, we ask all applicants to complete an Expression of Interest form.
Please email us at [email protected] – we will send you a form to complete and return to us at the same email address.
Guidance for completing the Expression of Interest will be contained within the form. Your completed form must be submitted by 30 April 2025.
Please refer to the full guidance and criteria before sending in your application.
After you apply
Expressions of Interest will be assessed by our local offices. We will be in touch by 16 May 2025 to invite successful applications under the Expression of Interest process to complete a full application.
Full applications will need to be submitted by 30 May 2025.
Grant conditions
If we make a grant offer, you will be invited to sign a contract with us. You will need to follow the grant conditions set out in the contract.
When planning your project, please remember that all grant recipients must follow the Procurement Regulations. In most cases, you will need to appoint any professional advisers and contractors in an open and competitive way.
Some of the grant conditions remain active for a set period of time after you have completed the grant-aided works. For example, if your project involves repair, you will usually need to provide access for the public once works are complete. These public access requirements will take into account the significance and nature of the site. You will also need to carry out maintenance at the site.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the grant ranges for the HAR Capital Fund?
The funding will be competitive and grant amounts may vary considerably. Historic England anticipates most projects will receive grants in the range of £200,000 and £800,000.
What is the minimum value of a HAR Capital Fund grant?
There is no minimum value set for this fund. However, since the fund aims to deliver substantial capital repairs to heritage buildings at risk, we expect the smallest grants to be around £100,000.
What is the maximum value of HAR Capital Fund grant?
The target maximum value is £800,000. In exceptional circumstances, grant applications up to £1,000,000 will be considered if Historic England is assured that the project can be delivered within the timescale of the fund and whilst meeting all relevant public funding procurement and other statutory responsibilities.
How much match-funding is required?
The target is for project costs to be 20% match funded. We recognise that securing match funding can be challenging. Historic England will consider applications that do not meet the match funding target and, in particular cases, may fund 100% of project costs.
Can project costs be covered retrospectively?
No. Historic England cannot fund costs – including project development costs – already incurred.
Can applicants use grant funding to recover their own administrative costs?
No. However, applicants' administrative costs may be counted as a contribution by the applicant to the total match funding amount.
Can an applicant apply for more than one building?
Yes, but separate applications should be prepared.
How do I know the IMD ranking of my project?
The IMD ranking is determined by the site address or the building/scheduled monument/registered park or garden for which you are seeking a HAR capital fund grant.
My project is not in an IMD 1 to 3. Am I still able to apply?
Yes, provided your project serves communities in an IMD 1 to 3. For example, if you have a community centre that sits in IMD4, but that primarily provides to people from adjacent neighbourhoods in an IMD3, the community centre would meet the criteria of the fund. We may check or ask you to provide evidence to show that your project serves communities in an IMD 1 to 3.
Are places of worship eligible?
Only in exceptional circumstances. The building must be at serious and immediate risk, and the applicant must evidence that all other possible sources of funding have been fully explored and secured where appropriate.
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