A grant scheme is now available for charities to acquire historic buildings at risk in Northern Ireland and those seeking help and assistance setting up a Building Preservation Trust through a scheme administered by the Architectural Heritage Fund. A grant scheme is now available for charities to acquire historic buildings at risk in Northern Ireland and those seeking help and assistance setting up a Building Preservation Trust through a scheme administered by the Architectural Heritage Fund.
Any registered charity can apply to receive this funding but as the emphasis is on the restoration of a historic building at risk it is aimed particularly at charities such as Building Preservation Trusts which will have this as a principal aim. See Building Preservation Trusts to find out more about this type of charity. The assistance is targeted at listed buildings which are considered to be ‘at risk’ and so the structure should be a listed building included on the Built Heritage at Risk Northern Ireland database (see the BHARNI database for more information).
What is the purpose of this scheme?Under the Planning Amendment Order 2003 the Department of the Environment can offer grant assistance to ‘any body of persons (not being a body carried on for profit) which appears to the Department to have among its principal objectives furthering the preservation, conservation and regeneration of historic buildings’. The voluntary sector in Northern Ireland has carried out some important work in recent years to bring historic buildings back from a state of severe risk to become structures which make a strong contribution to their surroundings and often become a focus for local pride. This grant scheme aims to support these efforts by extending the availability of assistance for initial acquisition costs. We also support capacity building in the sector by helping the AHF employ full-time advisors for this region. This support is additional to the recently extended Historic Buildings Grant Scheme which is now available for most listed buildings.
How to applyFor a guidance note summarizing this information see NGO Guidance Note (.PDF 293Kb)
Further information on the scheme and an application form can be obtained from the Architectural Heritage Fund at the following address:
The Architectural Heritage Fund
Alhambra House
27-31 Charing Cross Road
London
WC2H 0AU
Tel 020 7925 0199
Fax 020 7930 0295
Email ahf@ahfund.org.uk