Historic Environment Recovery Fund

Historic Environment Scotland have launched a £2.6m Historic Environment Recovery Fund which is due to open for applications on 12 October 2020.

The fund aims to support Scotland’s historic environment sector to recover from the impacts of COVID-19, enabling organisations to remain solvent,
safeguard jobs and training opportunities and ensure that historic buildings and sites can reopen to the public. It will also invest in urgent repairs and maintenance, helping to generate work for specialist contractors and the wider heritage economy.

Grants of between £10k and £100k will be available for costs to be incurred before 31 March 2021 under the following two funding streams:

Stream 1: Re-opening Historic Buildings and Sites

• Open to organisations which manage historic buildings and other sites normally open to the public at least 28 days per year.
• Eligible costs include equipment purchases, training, minor adaptations and urgent repairs/maintenance required to re-open in line with government guidelines on COVID-19. Activities aiming to re-engage communities and volunteers with sites as they re-open are also eligible.

Stream 2: Sector Resilience and Recovery

• Open to organisations which deliver significant outcomes for Scotland’s historic environment – ensuring that it is understood, valued, cared for and enjoyed.
• Eligible costs include essential operating costs for qualifying organisations, business planning activities to promote organisational resilience and investment to protect delivery of existing skills training opportunities.

The Historic Environment Recovery Fund is part of the Scottish Government’s £97 million package of targeted funding to support Scotland’s culture and heritage sectors through the impacts of COVID-19.

Applications will be open between 12 October and 2 November 2020. Further information can be found on the Historic Environment Scotland website.