Yesterday the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) announced £50million was being made available for a Heritage Emergency Fund to support the UK heritage sector as an immediate response to the COVID-19 crisis. This will provide short-term funding for organisations delivering heritage projects, or running previously funded projects. It will also help to safeguard heritage sites that the NLHF have previously invested in, ensuring that they are not lost to the public. It is available to organisations across the full breadth of heritage, including historic sites, industrial and maritime heritage, museums, libraries and archives, parks and gardens, landscapes and nature.

The Heritage Emergency Fund comprises:

• A fund that organisations can access over the next three to six months as short-term funding to stabilise operations and manage unforeseen risks. Grants of between £3,000-£50,000 will be available.
• A select number of key strategic investments where heritage is identified as at greatest risk.

Priority will be given where:

• there is limited or no access to other sources of support
• where heritage is most at risk
• where an organisation is at risk of severe financial crisis due to COVID-19

Grants will be open for applications and further details provided on the selection criteria and how to apply in the next few days.

Further details can be found here:

https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/news/heritage-emergency-fund-launches-help-sector