Heritage groups looking for help from the coronavirus pandemic can apply for funding from the £92m Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage, which has been launched.

Funds will be distributed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The new Fund is part of the wider £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund announced by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden earlier this month, which is the Government’s biggest ever one-off investment in the sector.

The Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage is open to:

•Heritage organisations managing a heritage site or visitor attraction
•Private owners of a heritage site, venue or attraction
•Organisations managing, maintaining or caring for culturally significant assets or collections
•Businesses that are a vital part of the heritage ecosystem, including conservators, contractors, specialists and suppliers
•Organisations that manage culturally significant assets or collections
•Non-accredited museums are eligible. (Accredited museums and those working towards accreditation should apply to the Culture Recovery Fund through Arts Council England.)

Organisations in the Midlands are urged to apply swiftly before the deadline of midday on Monday, 17th August.

Louise Brennan, Historic England’s Regional Director (Midlands) said: “For many of our heritage organisations, businesses and owners of heritage sites in the Midlands, this funding will be a lifeline. As the public begin to return to some of our much-loved places, we are aware of the need to support a sector that is vital in creating economic prosperity and in making local communities better places to live and enjoy.

“Historic England is dedicated to helping the Midlands’ heritage sector weather this crisis so that it can once again enrich not only the social fabric of the region, but also people’s lives and sense of wellbeing.”

Anne Jenkins, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Across the Midlands you can see some of the most amazing heritage in the world, but the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dealt many organisations working to showcase and explore these important and significant treasures of our past a huge blow.

“We know that our heritage is at the heart of inspiring pride in communities, boosting investment in local economies, and promoting tourism to the area, and that’s why we are so pleased to be working with our colleagues at Historic England to deliver the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. This fund will play a key role in safeguarding the invaluable cultural assets across the Midlands, whilst also addressing the part that heritage can play in the levelling up of England.”

Successful applicants for grants need to have an innovative plan for how they will operate and be sustainable for the remainder of this financial year. They also need to be able to demonstrate their international, national or local significance. Smaller, local organisations should demonstrate the role they play in cultural engagement with people from all backgrounds, the opportunities they create and how they benefit their local community and area. It doesn’t matter if they have received funding before. Grants are available from £10,000 up to £3million.

The guidance and application process is available at https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding/culture-recovery-fund-for-heritage. After applications close at midday on Monday, 17 August, decisions on awards will be made in late September.

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