Grants
Heritage is for everybody, and we are here for heritage. As a charity, we rely on grants from trusts and foundations to fund so much of the work we do to care for England’s heritage and open it up for everybody to enjoy, learn, play and create.
Thanks to grant donations, we’re able to conserve and repair historic buildings and objects, deliver education and training, undertake cutting-edge research, engage with local people and their communities, and invest in infrastructure to make heritage more accessible than ever before.
Support that makes history
If you’re interested in supporting England’s heritage through a grant, we’d love to talk to you about the impact you can make. Read on to find out how grants from our amazing supporters are delivering transformational projects right now in every corner of the country.
Celebrating 30 years of the National Lottery
In 2024 the National Lottery celebrated its 30th anniversary. Since the first draw took place on 19 November 1994, more than £49 billion has been raised for good causes.
In that time, English Heritage has been awarded 76 grants totalling £50m. That money has made so much possible – and we’re incredibly grateful to the National Lottery and all its players.
Discover MoreLooking to apply for a grant?
At the moment, we’re making grants through our Community Connections programme, which funds community projects at some of the free-to-enter sites in our care. It’s been made possible by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
We don’t offer any other grants.
Learn moreOur current projects
Read about just a few of our planned and in-progress projects that will only be possible with support from grant-makers.
If you would like to support a project or learn more about our other appeals not currently listed, please contact us.
Learning at Stonehenge - Inspiring the Future
We’re transforming the education experience at Stonehenge by building two exciting new spaces.
A contemporary Learning Centre will feature sustainable, accessible and flexible spaces including a sector-leading Discovery Lab dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Nearby, an immersive and accurately reconstructed Neolithic classroom will give students a taste of daily life in the Stone Age. Together, these spaces will give more than 100,000 students unforgettable learning experiences each and every year.
We’re still fundraising towards this project. Construction is underway thanks to generous trusts and foundations that have already given their support, including Garfield Weston Foundation, Kusuma Trust, National Highways, Clore Duffield Foundation, Wolfson Foundation, and The Syder Foundation, as well as generous individuals and many other kind supporters.
Learn moreHistoric and Botanic Garden Training Programme
We’ve proudly run the Historic and Botanic Garden Trainee Programme (HBGTP) since 2006, giving over 330 aspiring horticulturalists the chance to gain paid, on-the-job experience in some of the UK’s most important gardens. A fantastic 86% of graduates have gone on to higher education or employment in the heritage horticulture sector.
With other generous donors, the programme is supported by the National Garden Scheme, which gives visitors unique access to thousands of exceptional gardens across the country. Since it was founded in 1927, the scheme has donated over £74 million to nursing, health and gardening charities.
Visit the National Garden Scheme websiteThe Living Barracks
Over the next few years, we’re working with local partners to turn Berwick-upon-Tweed’s barracks into a thriving destination for locals and visitors alike.
This groundbreaking project is a partnership between English Heritage, Northumberland County Council, The Maltings (Berwick) Trust and the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. Plus, with an exciting programme of community outreach and co-creation, we’ll be putting heritage back in the hands of local people.
A £15m project, The Living Barracks has been made possible thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, amongst many other generous donors. To find out more about how you can get involved in the project and help us reach our final target, visit our project page.
Discover morePast Grant Support
Support from charitable trusts and foundations, and statutory funders, has enabled us to deliver innovative and engaging projects at the sites in our care. Below are just a few example of how our supporters have made a lasting impact.
Belsay Awakes
This huge project saw us replace Belsay’s roof, rejuvenate its gardens and create fantastic new accessible facilities and experiences for children and adults alike. Local people and fantastic volunteers were involved in the project every step of the way, and we ran special conservation in action events and workshops throughout the project.
Two years on from the end of the project, Belsay is thriving once again. 2024 saw a 24% increase in visitors, and
This transformation was made possible by a £1.5m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and with generous support Garfield Weston Foundation, The Foyle Foundation, Historic Houses Foundation, The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust and other generous supporters.
Discover MoreKenwood Bath House Restoration
Cold water therapy is huge in the world of wellness at the moment – but it’s an idea that’s been around for generations. When the Mansfield family bought Kenwood in north London in 1754, they built a new marble-lined pool fed by spring water for invigoratingly chilly dips.
Before our latest conservation project, the plaster was crumbling and the paint was peeling off in sheets. The marble was stained green by algae, and the pool had silted up due to the high iron content of the water.
Thanks to support from grant-makers, we’ve carefully restored the bathhouse to its former glory. We’ve also installed a permanent information panel to help Kenwood’s visitors appreciate this remarkable survival.
The project was made possible thanks to grants from The Friends of the Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood, Pilgrim Trust, The John and Ruth Howard Charitable Trust, The Rose Foundation, The Aurelius Charitable Trust, and an individual donation from Helen Payne
Please get in touch to find out how you could support future conservation projects like this one.
Conservation at English HeritageDover Castle Under Siege
Dover Castle is one of the biggest and most significant sites in our care. It’s also one of the busiest and most popular sites, which is why it’s vital that we invest in our offer to visitors.
In 2024 we opened a new experience that takes visitors back to the 13th century, plunging them into the drama and the chaos of a medieval siege. With hands-on exhibitions, reopened medieval tunnels and an imaginative play area, Dover Castle Under Siege is a fantastic example of how old stories can be brought to life in new ways.
It was made possible by generous grants from Garfield Weston Foundation, Henry Oldfield Trust, and The Lawson Trust.
Please contact us to find out more about how your grants could help create more amazing new experiences for everybody to enjoy.
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Contact Us
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Use the details below to contact our Grants and Trusts team.