What we mean by place 

‘Place’ refers to a meaningful location, and definitions vary depending on where you are and who you ask. It could mean a local community, a natural landscape or an entire city.  

How heritage supports thriving places

Heritage plays a unique role in building pride in place by connecting communities and visitors to an area and helping to boost economies.  

Buildings and monuments, landscapes, high streets and parks all contribute to a sense of place alongside the stories, memories and experiences we associate with them. 

Our funding for heritage projects  

We welcome applications for heritage projects that take local needs, challenges and opportunities into account by:  

• considering how the activity you deliver benefits your area
• valuing the experience and knowledge of your local communities
• partnering or co-ordinating with other organisations to have a wider impact  

Projects taking this place-based approach can focus on different types of heritage and can include an individual heritage site or a wider area.  

We are delivering strategic initiatives, as part of our Heritage 2033 strategy, that focus on place:  

• Heritage Places is targeting place-based investment to boost pride in place and connect communities and visitors with heritage, distributing £200million across the UK during Heritage 2033
• Landscape Connections is investing £150million in around 20 long-term projects boosting nature recovery by supporting Protected Landscapes and other world-class landscapes across the UK    
• Nature Towns and Cities is a partnership initiative supporting places to improve the quality of, and access to, historic parks and urban green spaces, distributing £15million in 2025 for projects lasting up to three years

See our funding programmes, area-based projects good practice guidance and strategic initiatives pages to find out more.  

Our approach to supporting places  

We fund places, not just projects, by:  

• valuing the local expertise of our Area and Nation Teams and Committees in our decision-making for grants
• engaging with stakeholders across the UK including working with local and strategic authorities, making connections between priorities and projects
• delivering our place-based strategic initiatives: Heritage Places, Landscape Connections and Nature, Towns and Cities  
• working with partners and agencies to bring about benefits for places, such as the Architectural Heritage Fund’s Heritage Development Trusts programme 

Discover how heritage can create better places in the project examples below.