Aims/Priorities: The funding is intended to help communities across England rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings.
The programme will focus on regenerating historic buildings in town centre locations by supporting community organisations to take ownership of, adapt and reuse the local heritage assets that matter to them, transforming them into thriving spaces that meet their needs.
The Heritage Revival Fund aims to:
- Maximise the regeneration benefits of community ownership and control of heritage assets, assisting in making communities fit for the future.
- Protect, enhance and safeguard historic buildings across England, offering viable new uses for disused and underutilised properties.
- Build capacity within local community groups, social enterprise, and charities.
- Pilot innovative, alternative uses, ownership structures and investment models to facilitate long term regeneration.
- Maximise the positive social and economic impacts around restoring historic buildings.
Who can apply? To be eligible, applicants must be one of the following not-for-private-profit organisations or lowest tiers of local government:
- Unincorporated charities (for Project Viability Grants only)
- Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
- Charitable Companies Limited by Guarantee
- Community Benefit Societies
- Not-for-private-profit Companies Limited by Guarantee
- Community Interest Companies (CICs) Limited by Guarantee
- Co-operatives
- Parish and Town Councils
- Independent secular organisations seeking to take ownership of a place of worship that will retain some religious use. Or an organisation associated with a worshipping community that is seeking to establish an independent secular organisation to take ownership of the place of worship, while the space will retain some religious use. Ongoing worship must account for less than half of the proposed use of the space.
Grant Amount: Grants of between £5,000 and £350,000 are available.
There are three different grants:
- Project Viability Grants up to £15,000 for up to one year.
- Project Development Grants up to £100,000 for up to one year.
- Capital Works Grants up to £350,000 for up to one year.
Application Process: There are different timetables for each of the grants.
Project Viability Grants have a two-stage application process:
- Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any time from 3 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 (midnight). Notification of decisions within six weeks.
- Those who are successful at stage one will be invited to submit a full application (stage two). Notification of decisions with two to three months of receipt of application.
Project Development Grants have a two-stage application process:
- Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any time from 3 April 2025.
- Those who are successful at stage one will be invited to submit a full application (stage two) by the following deadlines:
- 21 April 2025 for a decision in June 2025
- 14 July 2025 for a decision in September 2025
- 13 October 2025 for a decision in December 2025
- 19 January 2026 for a decision in March 2026.
Capital Works Grants have a two-stage application process:
- Guidance for Capital Grants issued: 12 May 2025.
- Expression of Interest deadline: 27 June 2025.
- Application deadline: 29 September 2025.
- Decision: December 2025
Full details, including the guidance notes and Expression of Interest forms, can be found on the Architectural Heritage Fund website.
Deadline: 31 March 2026
Contact Information: ahf@ahfund.org.uk