Heritage Lottery Fund: Resilient Heritage

Overview

Resilient Heritage is a flexible programme and can support a wide range of activities. It is up to you to make a strong case for the activity you want to undertake and what difference you expect this funding to make. Following your Resilient Heritage project, you will be able to show that your organisation is in a better position for the future as a result of the changes you have made, and that your project has helped you towards the long-term goals of the organisation.

Who do they fund?

• not-for-profit organisations
• partnerships or consortia led by not-forprofit organisations

Examples of the types of organisations they fund:

• charities or trusts
• community, voluntary or friends of groups
• companies limited by guarantee
• community or parish councils
• community interest companies
• local authorities
• other public sector organisations, such as nationally funded museums
• social enterprises

Examples of "Heritage"

• Archaeological sites
• Collections of objects, books or documents in museums, libraries or archives
• Cultural traditions such as stories, festivals, crafts, music, dance and costumes
• Historic buildings
• Histories of people and communities
• Histories of places and events
• The heritage of languages and dialects
• Natural and designed landscapes and gardens
• People’s memories and experiences (often recorded as ‘oral history’);
• Places and objects linked to our industrial, maritime and transport history
• Natural heritage including habitats, species and geology.

What do they support?

• activities to support a group taking on new responsibility for heritage, such as working with a local authority on an asset transfer process
• conducting a viability appraisal or feasibility study looking at transforming the use of a historic building or other heritage asset
• investigating and trialling new approaches to fundraising, trading or other income generating activities
• conducting research into how you engage with existing and potential audiences and customers, and identifying improvements that can be implemented
• paying for specialist support to undertake a review of governance and an audit of trustee skills, and implement changes
• getting advice and support from a professional to review your business and operating model, develop a new business plan for the organisation and implement the key stages
• exploring alternative income streams and testing new approaches, which might include improving how your organisation demonstrates its social impact in order to attract a wider range of investors
• identifying opportunities to reduce negative environmental impacts and make efficiency savings providing short-term staff cover to release senior personnel from some of their duties, to increase their capacity to work on activities critical to organisational development
• identifying and paying for training for staff, volunteers and trustees to support the organisational changes you are aiming for
• providing support for networking and mentoring activity to enable the organisation to increase its reach and impact
• ensuring your organisation is prepared to take on a future capital project through undertaking specialist work such as condition surveys and initial planning to demonstrate long-term financial sustainability
• exploring options for winding down or merging with another organisation, including getting support in passing on responsibility for a heritage asset to ensure it is well managed in the long term
• exploring options on behalf of a group of organisations, for example, around the establishment of more formal networks or partnerships, and developing new strategic plans and approaches to looking after shared heritage

NOTE

If you are an established organisation, they strongly recommend that you include a diagnostic stage as part of your project planning using the online Resilient Heritage strength checker.This will help you to analyse how your organisation currently works and areas of strengths and weakness, to help identify what you need to address as part of your project.

Partnership Funding

• For applications of between £3,000-£10,000 and £10,000–£100,000 you do not have to make a cash contribution to the project costs.
• For applications of above £100,000 you need to make a contribution of 5% towards your project. This can be Cash or in-kind or a combination of both.