Last updated: 07/01/2021

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched £400million of grants and loans in the second round of the £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.

These grants are being distributed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England and others on behalf of DCMS to support organisations and businesses who own, manage or work with heritage in England.

"As we emerge from lockdown in 2021, we want to ensure there is support available to recover, reopen to the public and remain resilient"

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The Fund is awarding £36m of grants to heritage organisations in England struggling under the pressures of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

We are now accepting applications for grants from £10,000 to £3m to support these organisations on their road to recovery and to help them thrive again once they are able to reopen safely.

Stories of success

Through the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund, launched in July, we distributed £78.9m to 514 organisations in desperate need of support following the first lockdown period. The grants were a lifeline for organisations such as Victoria Baths in Manchester and Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, which each lost vital income due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The grants backed some of the country’s rich heritage – from historic landmarks such as The Piece Hall in Halifax, to community groups such as the disability-led arts organisation, Shape Arts. Many of these charities, groups and organisations would not have made it through the pandemic without this crucial funding.

What this means for heritage

We’re committed to supporting heritage throughout the next few difficult months and will continue to do so as we strive to return to normal functionality in 2021.

Chief Executive of The Fund, Ros Kerslake said: “This has been an exceptionally tough year and it is only thanks to emergency funding from the Government and the National Lottery that much of our treasured heritage has been able to survive.

“We’ve seen heritage organisations work extremely hard to continue to inspire and connect with the public during 2020, despite the many challenges they have faced. As we emerge from lockdown in 2021, we want to ensure there is support available to recover, reopen to the public and remain resilient, so this funding from DCMS is hugely welcome.”

How to apply

The Culture Recovery Fund is now open for applications until 26 January 2021. All information about this fund and how to apply is available to view in our guidance.