GrantRadar

Association for Industrial Archaeology

AIA Restoration Grants

Capital grants from the Association for Industrial Archaeology for restoring historically, technically, architecturally or archaeologically important industrial buildings, structures, machinery, vehicles and vessels in the UK. Major Projects can receive up to £30,000 (the grant should normally be at least 20% of total project cost) and Small Projects up to £10,000 where the total cost, excluding volunteer labour, is no more than £12,500. Applications from not-for-profit bodies close on 31 March each year, and volunteer input as match funding is encouraged.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£15,000 – £30,000
Deadline
164 days left
31 March
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Not-for-profit organisations such as trusts, charities, CICs, local authorities or other similar properly constituted bodies, restoring an important industrial heritage asset in the UK
  • The asset must be covered by a Conservation Policy and/or Conservation Statement and be sustainably managed, displayed and interpreted for the public with appropriate public access
  • Private businesses and individuals cannot apply, and privately owned assets are not normally funded unless held on a long repairing lease

What it funds

  • Restoration work (capital only) on a single tangible industrial heritage structure or artefact, or a cohesive collection of artefacts, within the UK - e.g. canal locks and boats, railway structures and rolling stock, steam engines, mills and machinery
  • The grant:
  • Can be for new projects or ones already begun that need further funding to complete
  • Can be partnership funding alongside other grants or fundraising
  • Can include volunteer expenses and materials and the reasonable cost of new interpretation for the asset
  • Major Projects: up to £30,000, where the AIA grant is a significant part of total cost (normally not less than 20%)
  • Small Projects: up to £10,000 where the total project cost excluding volunteer labour does not exceed £12,500

What it will not fund

  • Ongoing revenue funding
  • Feasibility studies
  • Exploratory excavations
  • Training or education costs
  • Projects focused on interpretation rather than restoration
  • Small contributions to very large projects (normally where the AIA grant would be under 20% of total project cost)
  • Private businesses or individuals
  • Assets owned by private individuals or businesses, unless held on long repairing leases
  • Funding that would result in another body reducing its funding

How to apply

  1. Read the Restoration Grants Criteria and Guidance notes
  2. Complete the Restoration Grant Application Form (Word file, aiming for no more than four sides of A4)
  3. Email the form as a Word file with supporting documents (photographs as jpegs, longer documents as PDFs) to restoration-grants@industrial-archaeology.org so it is received by 31 March
  4. The AIA acknowledges receipt within two working days; AIA Council members may visit the site and ask for more information
  5. Applicants are notified of the outcome by early July; successful applicants sign a grant acceptance form and claim payments against invoices

Late submissions may be rejected. If files are too large to email, use WeTransfer or similar.

The final 10% of the grant is paid only once the publicity and acknowledgement requirements are met.

Have ready

  • Restoration Grant Application Form
  • Photographs of publishable quality and free of copyright, including at least one showing the asset's current state
  • Cost breakdown of the grant request (10% contingency recommended) and of the total project if larger
  • Schedule of work and specification showing best conservation practice
  • Conservation Policy or Conservation Statement
  • Details of partnership funding and volunteer input
  • Proposed project timetable

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