Ards & North Down Borough Council: Heritage Grant

Overview

The strategic objectives of Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Arts & Heritage Department in supporting non-profit making organisations to deliver heritage projects are:

To improve understanding, knowledge and enjoyment of local heritage
To disseminate information about local heritage
To promote and encourage heritage development and skills in the community
To support well-being through heritage-based activity
To ensure quality heritage experiences and best practice

Who is eligible?

Non-profit making organisations and constituted groups that are located in or projects that are of benefit to residents within Ards and North Down Borough.

What supporting documentation is required?

Signed governing document such as a Constitution (in the name of the applicant organisation) NOTE: Umbrella body governing documents are not valid for funding.
Signed accounts or Income and Expenditure Statement.
Current Account Bank statement (in the name of the applicant organisation, and in credit) – which must be dated within the last three months
Any policies which are relevant to project such as Child Protection, Vulnerable Adult Policies

The Organising Body must:

Demonstrate sufficient experience to carry out the project
Demonstrate a need and demand for the project
Demonstrate that efforts have been made to raise income or assistance from other sources
Allow, at least, a 6 week lead-in-time from the deadline for submission of the application and the date of the commencement of the project for the panel to assess the application. Please see application form for details of dates

The Projects must:

Take place between April 2025 to March 2026
Address a minimum of 2 strategic objectives of Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Heritage Grants Scheme
Be effectively planned, budgeted and have clear objectives and outcomes
Be accessible to the general public where appropriate
Be adequately marketed and publicised throughout the Borough
Represent value for money

What type of project is suitable?

Examples of projects are grouped under the following headings to reflect the Council’s current priorities for funding heritage projects.

Buildings and monuments

While funding for capital projects is not covered under this grant scheme, projects which interpret and share the history and heritage of buildings and monuments are. Here are some examples of what they could fund:

Conservation of a church memorial plaque
Celebrate the lives of people commemorated on a war memorial
Community involvement in learning about built heritage

Community heritage

They support projects that explore the heritage of your community, bring people together and increase their pride in the local area. Community heritage is anything that makes your area unique and worth celebrating. It is often in danger of being forgotten or lost, and with it our sense of belonging and pride in where we live.

Here are just some of the things you could do to celebrate the heritage of your community:

revive a long-lost tradition or craft
share forgotten folk tales
reveal the stories of the area’s diverse groups
discover the origins of the place where you live
explore the events that helped to shape it

Cultures and memories

Our traditions, memories and family histories all make us who we are. They are as much part of our heritage as archaeology, historic buildings or natural landscapes. Projects that delve into our diverse cultures and memories can bring people closer together, help them discover each other’s heritage and create a sense of local pride.

Here are just some examples of what they could fund:

explore the history of family and place names
record accounts of traditional farming methods
reveal the history of care for people with disabilities
bring people from different backgrounds to learn about their rich histories, faiths and customs, as well as share them with new audiences
give a voice to ordinary people – by recording their memories (oral history)
help people learn about local traditions and crafts and the skills needed to preserve them

Industrial, maritime and transport

Printing presses, pumping engines, windmills, historic ships, landscapes transformed by industry.

They want to help more groups and organisations to celebrate their local industrial heritage. What you could achieve with their funding:

Uncover and record people’s memories of our industrial past
Reveal the history of the textile and mining industries
Help young people to explore their maritime heritage

Project Outputs

For the purposes of this grant, it is expected that projects will have produced materials in order to share their results with their local communities. These outputs could be:

An exhibition
A publication
A video or sound recording that could be shared on social media
A restored artefact
Posters, flyers or brochures
Speakers
Equipment for public speakers

What type of grant is available?

Grants of up to £500 are available.
All grants require match funding of 20% (either cash or in-kind)
The number of applications received and the resources available at the time of assessment will be taken into account in the assessment process. Please note that priority may be given to applications from currently under-represented areas.
Grants must be used to undertake new and/or additional activities or special events
Grants can be used in conjunction with other schemes, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, but must show how they will be used for different elements of the project Grants are not given for capital expenditure on facilities or revenue costs such as rent or organisation overheads
Grants are designed to support one-off projects, successful applications will not automatically lead to repeat funding
Grants can be given for expendable materials but will not normally be given for equipment unless the application proves a specific need for it

All money must be spent by 31 March 2026

Track grant Notes