How we’ll help secure the future of the UK’s places of worship
In our Heritage 2033 strategy we identified places of worship as heritage in need, affected by changes in the sector and gaps in support. We’re committed to helping them address the challenges they face and ensuring they are resilient community assets for generations to come, through a variety of approaches. Any place of worship in the UK can apply for National Lottery Heritage Grants funding.
Dedicated funding to tackle common issues at scale
Introduced in July, our Heritage in Need: Places of Worship strategic initiative will invest £15million to support large projects that address widespread needs and challenges. Through this, we want to make heritage in this sector more sustainable and secure.
We invite organisations across the UK who know places of worship best to devise and deliver strategic projects at a national and regional level. We want to support projects focusing on sustainability and accelerating new ideas and interventions.
Go to our strategic initiatives page for information on how to apply for Heritage in Need: Places of Worship funding.
Our new strategy commits us to working with everyone concerned about the future of places of worship to ensure that they are valued, cared for and sustained for everyone.
Simon Thurley, Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Conservation grants boost
Our first award through this strategic initiative is £4.68m to expand the Church of England’s Conservation Grants Scheme. Our support will help fund building repairs, preserve church interiors and train a new generation of heritage craft specialists over the next five years.
Emily Gee at Church of England said: "We are hugely grateful to the Heritage Fund for this extraordinarily generous and much-needed award for church buildings.
"It will enable us to expand our support to parishes in their crucial work to preserve our treasured cultural heritage, including the conservation of stained glass, wall paintings, clocks, bells, paintings and monuments."
Apply for National Lottery Heritage Grants
Any place of worship in the UK, of any religion or denomination, can apply for grants from £10,000 to £10m.
Our goal is to help those who care for places of worship improve their condition and equip the sector with the shared expertise, people and skills needed to care for this heritage into the future. We also want places of worship to achieve their potential as hubs for community activity and celebrating heritage. We anticipate awarding grants worth around £85m to support this ambition over the next three years.
Take your first steps to applying:
- explore our good practice guidance on topics from conservation planning to training and skill development
- get inspired by case studies of places of worship we’ve funded
- read our application guidance
- when you’re ready, submit a project enquiry or expression of interest to get advice from our local teams
Helping heritage be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone
Our combined £100m investment will build on a legacy of support for places of worship that’s seen us invest more than £1billion in them since 1994.
Simon Thurley, Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Places of worship are some of the UK’s most historic buildings, often at the heart of communities. There are many challenges facing these places, some new and others long-standing.
Our new strategy commits us to working with everyone concerned about the future of places of worship to ensure that they are valued, cared for and sustained for everyone. We are looking forward to working with organisations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland over the next three years to support them in tackling the problems they face.”
Stay updated about our news for places of worship
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