The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Heritage Enterprise

The National Lottery Heritage Fund's Heritage Enterprise grants (£250,000 to £5 million) help enterprising community organisations, and commercial organisations working in partnership with them, rescue neglected historic buildings and sites and return them to viable commercial use. The grant closes the 'conservation deficit' (where repair costs plus existing value exceed the value after development), up to 90% of that deficit plus activity costs. It is a two-round process after an Expression of Interest, with priority for at-risk, designated heritage in economically disadvantaged areas.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £250,000 – £5,000,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Not-for-profit organisations, or partnerships between commercial and not-for-profit organisations (the lead can be either; commercial organisations may be the majority partner, and a signed partnership agreement is required)
Examples of eligible not-for-profits: charities, trusts and CIOs; community or voluntary groups; Community Interest Companies; faith-based and church organisations; community/parish councils; local authorities; other public bodies such as nationally funded museums
Unless public or commercial, the lead applicant's constitution must include its legal name and aims, a clause preventing distribution of income or property to members, an asset-lock clause on dissolution, the adoption date and an authorised signature
Commercial leads must provide articles of association, a statement of solvency and, where they own the asset, agree to share excess net earnings at five and nine years
Applicants must contribute at least 5% of the conservation deficit for grants up to £1 million and at least 10% for £1 million or more (cash, loans, volunteer time or in-kind)
Projects in Wales must make appropriate use of the Welsh language
Grants may be subject to the Subsidy Control Act 2022

What it funds

Repair and adaptation of a historic building or asset, or a coherent group of them, for an end-use that generates a sustainable commercial income and stimulates economic growth. Eligible:

Purchase of a heritage asset in need of investment
Essential conservation work such as structural repairs
Repairs and adaptations to bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into commercially viable use
Basic ('Category A') fit-out
Training in conservation, mentoring, learning, management or digital skills for people delivering the project
Activities or information about the heritage
Valuations, professional fees and statutory consents
Specialist research
Preparing a development appraisal
Project staff

Limited capital spend in the development phase (normally no more than 10% of the delivery grant request), e.g. urgent repairs or temporary structures for meanwhile uses.

Residential or social housing is considered where it is the most appropriate economically viable use and local housing need is evidenced.

Developers may make a reasonable return of up to 15% of capital costs.

Priority goes to projects in areas of economic disadvantage and to assets that are both at risk and formally designated (undesignated assets considered with justification).

Projects must not have started and take no more than five years, and must address all four Heritage 2033 investment principles (saving heritage, protecting the environment, inclusion, access and participation, organisational sustainability).

What it will not fund

Unlikely to win support: projects led by a private individual
Unlikely to win support: projects whose main focus is an urban park
Unlikely to win support: projects whose main focus is an active place of worship
Unlikely to win support: residential projects that cannot show residential use is the most appropriate solution, a response to local need, or demonstrable social and community benefits
Projects that have already started
Organisations whose constitution lacks the required clauses (no distribution of income or property to members; assets passed to a charitable or not-for-profit body on dissolution)

How to apply

Submit an Expression of Interest through the Heritage Fund's online portal
If invited (you then have 12 months), submit a development phase application with a viability appraisal, draft conservation plan, RIBA Stage 1 plans and development costs, by one of the quarterly deadlines
If awarded a development grant, carry out the development phase (up to 24 months), including a full development appraisal to establish the conservation deficit
Submit a delivery phase application with RIBA Stage 3 plans, final development appraisal, confirmed ownership and finalised grant request, by a quarterly deadline
If awarded, deliver the project using the delivery grant

Read alongside the application guidance for National Lottery Heritage Grants £250,000 to £10million and the Receiving a grant guidance.

If your Expression of Interest is not invited, you must wait three months before submitting a new one.

Submitted applications cannot be returned for further work.

Quarterly application deadlines published on 2 Oct 2026: 12 noon, 12 November 2026 (decision by end of March 2027).

Have ready

Development phase: information from a viability appraisal indicating the conservation deficit
Development phase: draft conservation plan and initial breakdown of capital work
Development phase: details of property ownership or plans to achieve it, and plans to RIBA work stage 1
Development phase: partnership agreement (if applicable)
Delivery phase: development appraisal establishing the conservation deficit
Delivery phase: plans to RIBA work stage 3, confirmed property ownership, management and maintenance plan, business plan (if required) and confirmed partnership funding
Commercial lead applicants: articles of association and statement of solvency

Registered charities and public organisations do not need to send their governing document.

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