John O'Groats Mill, among recent recipients of funding (MerlinWorks)
News

Historic Environment Scotland details £13.5m spending in first grants funding report

John O'Groats Mill, among recent recipients of funding (MerlinWorks)

The report is hoped to provide transparency while uncovering trends and aid in future planning for the heritage organisation.

Historic Environment Scotland Releases First Grants Funding Report, Detailing Heritage Investments

Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the second-largest grant-giver for heritage in Scotland, has published its inaugural Grants Funding Report, providing insights into how it allocates an average of around £13.5 million each year on behalf of the Scottish Government for heritage projects across the country.

The report reveals that HES distributes an average of £2.35 per Scottish resident annually to support initiatives that protect and promote Scotland’s historic environment. A significant portion of this funding, 74%, is directed towards physical works ranging from small-scale adaptations to comprehensive refurbishment projects.

The remaining 26% of the grants budget supports various initiatives across the heritage sector.

This includes core funding for national heritage organisations, training and engagement programs, Intangible Cultural Heritage projects, and archaeological endeavors.

The report also highlights an increased awareness of environmental concerns, with 62% of grant applications in the past year mentioning climate change. Additionally, HES established a Covid Recovery Fund in 2020, which has supported 41 projects with urgent pandemic-related needs.

It also reveals the demand for funding, it said it was asked for £23.74 million for future projects in 2023-24, almost twice the amount it was able to award.

Susan O’Connor, Head of Grants at HES, said “As the second-largest funder of the historic environment in Scotland, we are pleased to publicly provide data on how we spend this funding, as well as insights into how we make our funding decisions.

“I believe we may be the first Scottish grant-giver to share their data in this way and look forward to releasing another data report next spring, providing further insight into Scotland’s heritage sector.”

The report is available to read here.