GrantRadar

Country Houses Foundation

Country Houses Foundation grants

The Country Houses Foundation (registered charity 1111049, known for a time as the Historic Houses Foundation) gives grants of £1,000 upwards for the repair and conservation of rural historic buildings and structures in England and Wales, including country houses, their gardens, grounds and outbuildings, and works of art in publicly accessible historic house collections. Grants are rarely up to £250,000; most are under £50,000. Both organisations and private individuals who are legally responsible for a building's repair can apply, but there must be appropriate public access and a financial need. There are no fixed deadlines: a pre-application is followed by a trustee site visit and an invited full application considered at quarterly trustee meetings.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,000 – £250,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Organisations and private individuals with legal responsibility for the historic building's repair: normally the owner, or holder of a full repairing lease with at least 20 years remaining, or someone with a legally binding agreement to acquire the building
  • The building or structure must be in England or Wales, normally listed, scheduled or a registered park or garden
  • Applicants must show financial need, appropriate public access and a sustainable conservation and/or business plan
  • Charitable status is not required (the form asks whether you are a registered charity or not-for-profit)

What it funds

  • Repair and conservation of rural historic buildings and structures in England and Wales, including where appropriate their gardens, grounds and outbuildings
  • Buildings would normally be listed, scheduled or (for gardens) on the Register of Parks and Gardens, but an unlisted building in a conservation area of sufficient significance may be considered
  • 'Rural' includes countryside buildings later embedded in urban or suburban development
  • Projects must show a compelling need for work within 2-3 years, enhancement of the historic environment, appropriate public access, financial need, readiness to proceed within 1-2 years and sustainability via a conservation and/or business plan
  • Grants can 'kick start' a project or complete a partly funded package
  • Also funds conservation of works of art (paintings, sculpture) in publicly accessible historic house collections
  • Emergency funding with quick turnaround

What it will not fund

  • Buildings recently purchased where the cost of the works should have been recognised in the purchase price
  • Projects that do not principally involve repair or conservation of a historic building or structure
  • Churches and chapels, unless now or previously linked to a country house or estate
  • Alterations and improvements, and repairs to non-historic fabric or services
  • Routine maintenance and minor repairs
  • General running costs
  • Demolition, unless agreed as part of a repair and conservation programme
  • Rent, loan or mortgage payments
  • Conservation of furniture, fittings and equipment, except where of historic or architectural significance, historically linked to the site, relevant to the project and secured long term from sale
  • Work carried out before a grant offer has been made in writing and accepted

Matching funds are not mandatory, but applicants are expected to contribute and seek other funding; eligibility does not guarantee a grant

How to apply

  1. Read the grant introduction page (https://www.countryhousesfoundation.org/grant-introduction)
  2. Complete the pre-application form (PDF or Word from https://www.countryhousesfoundation.org/grant-application) with two or three photographs of the property's current condition, and send it by post to Country Houses Foundation, 70 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EJ or by email to info@countryhousesfoundation.org; the Foundation aims to respond within 28 days
  3. If eligible, host a site visit by three or four trustees (1-2 hours)
  4. If invited, submit a full application with a professional adviser's or specialist contractor's report and colour photographs, plus a hard copy signed by the applicant
  5. Trustees consider full applications at quarterly meetings; you are notified within 7 days of the meeting

For works of art there is no pre-application; submit the separate art application form directly

Online submission through the website is not currently accepted

Have ready

  • Pre-application form (project description, historic environment contribution, public access, timing, funding schedule)
  • Two or three photographs of the property's current condition
  • Full application (invited stage only)
  • Professional adviser or specialist contractor report
  • Colour photographs showing project scope and urgency
  • Conservation and/or business plan

The full application must include a hard copy signed by the applicant; incomplete applications cannot be assessed

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