Alistair Hardaker | Image: Portrait of building team and project coordinator at the Millennium Building (Historic England Archive)
Places of Worship Renewal Fund, Heritage at Risk Capital Fund and Heritage Revival Fund open for applications targeting areas of high deprivation.
Three heritage funding schemes have opened for applications, offering a combined £48 million this year for places of worship and heritage sites in England.
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund offers up to £23 million this year, the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund up to £15 million, and the Heritage Revival Fund up to £10 million. The schemes are part of the wider £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund and are targeted at areas of high deprivation.
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a new scheme supporting projects from structural repairs to physical access improvements and the installation of new facilities to expand community use. A further £69 million will be made available across the course of this parliament, bringing the total to £92 million. The fund is open to listed places of worship serving all faiths.
According to the government, listed places of worship across the country have reported falling behind on structural repairs and maintenance, with those in areas of high deprivation facing challenges to fundraising for the capital costs of building works.
The Heritage at Risk Capital Fund has opened for a second round, backing projects that restore heritage sites. The fund prioritises projects that restore heritage sites serving disadvantaged communities and which demonstrate local benefits. Up to £15 million in funding is available this year, as part of a total £75 million fund.
The Heritage Revival Fund has also opened for a second round, with funding doubling to £10 million per year. The fund, worth £45 million in total, helps communities to rescue and repurpose historic buildings and transform them to meet modern needs, focusing on regenerating historic buildings in town centre locations.
Baroness Twycross, heritage minister, announced the launch during a visit to Grimsby Minster and the Sir Moses Montefiore Synagogue.
Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross said: “Our listed places of worship and heritage sites make vital contributions to local communities, particularly in areas of the greatest need. This targeted funding is an important step in keeping the roofs water-tight and doors wide open at churches, and for bringing historic buildings back into use for the communities who care for them.”
Emma Squire and Claudia Kenyatta, co-chief executives of Historic England, said: “Through the Places of Worship Renewal Fund and the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, this investment will direct support to the places where it is needed most, helping to repair and secure the future of some of our most valued heritage.
Historic England will distribute the Places of Worship Renewal Fund and the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund. The Architectural Heritage Fund will distribute the Heritage Revival Fund in partnership with Historic England.
