Posted on 20th Apr
Historic England has launched an emergency fund to help tackle the impact of coronavirus on the heritage sector and individuals and small businesses and organisations in the heritage sector in the East Midlands are encouraged to apply.
The aim of the fund, which will be up to £2m across England, is to extend the safety net as far as possible for the sector by helping small heritage organisations both to survive the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic, and to prepare for recovery.
Historic England, which is responsible for protecting and championing the nation’s historic environment, has developed the Covid-19 emergency fund in response to its own comprehensive survey of heritage organisations.
80 per cent of respondents in the East Midlands reported they had lost business in the short term, while 62 per cent of respondents had been forced to postpone or cancel income-generating events.
Whilst the impact of coronavirus has been serious, Government support schemes are providing assistance, with around 90 per cent of businesses in the heritage sector in the East Midlands saying they felt able to keep going in the short term.
However, craft workers and professionals such as architects, engineers and surveyors appear to be most vulnerable.
Half of the professional services in the heritage sector in the East Midlands that responded to the survey said they are concerned for their businesses and in need of additional support. While a quarter of craft-workers also said they are concerned for their businesses and in need of additional support.
Historic England is inviting applications from heritage organisations, self-employed contractors, third-sector organisations and voluntary groups that have been severely affected by the impact of Coronavirus and which need additional short-term emergency financial support to ensure their survival.
The organisation will also consider supporting projects and activities that respond to the current crisis and contribute to recovery in the heritage sector.
The fund is designed to complement the measures already put in place by the Government, as well as the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s recently announced £50million emergency fund.
Applicants are invited to apply for grants of up to £25,000 to address financial difficulties arising from Coronavirus. Grants of £50,000 are also available for projects and activities that reduce risks to heritage by providing information, resources and skills. Existing Historic England grant recipients should get in contact with their individual project contacts to discuss what flexibility they might require at this time.
The deadline for new applications is midnight on 3rd May, 2020, and the funding for successful applications will be awarded from mid-May.
More information on how to apply here: https://historicengland.org.uk/coronavirus/fund/
