£19.5m for Scotland's historic cities

The funding package will be distributed through Scotland’s City Heritage Trusts and will see funding distributed across a number of Scotland’s cities, including for the first time Dunfermline.

After Dunfermline became Scotland’s eighth city in 2022, it now qualifies for funding through the City Heritage Trust (CHT) scheme, which aims to provide local trusts with funding to invest in projects or work aligned to their local historic environment. HES provides funding on behalf of the Scottish Government to help protect and promote Scotland’s diverse historic environment.

As part of the funding package, the funding period for City Heritage Trusts (CHTs) is also increasing from three years to five. This allows the CHTs to take on longer-term projects and develop their own delivery programmes. The grant funding will be used for repair and re-use of historic buildings, training of traditional and specialist skills when caring for the historic environment, and outreach activity including exhibitions.

Alison Turnbull, Director of External Relations and Partnerships at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said:

The scheme has been a tremendous success in supporting each city’s local buildings, conservation areas, and built heritage outreach. We are excited to support each CHT to set longer-term goals to champion heritage projects in their cities, which individually and collectively play a key role in the fabric of Scotland’s story.

“HES’s funding schemes, such as the CHT scheme, continue to leverage match funding in the sector. We are very proud of the fact that the potential overall investment in the historic environment in 2026-31 catalysed by HES investment could be around £51 million, supporting jobs, skills and contributing to our sense of place.”

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said:

“This five-year funding demonstrates the commitment from both Scottish Government and Historic Environment Scotland in providing long-term support for initiatives that will help protect and safeguard our nation’s historic buildings and cultural heritage...This community-centric approach ensures local voices can lead the way in how Scotland’s story is told, for generations to come.”

For more information on our grants, visit our grants pages below: 

Our grants 

For more information about each City Heritage Trust, please see list below:

• Dundee Historic Environment Trust

• Aberdeen City Heritage Trust

• Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust 

• Inverness City Heritage Trust

• Stirling City Heritage Trust 

• Edinburgh World Heritage 

• Glasgow City Heritage Trust

• Dunfermline City Heritage: Fife Historic Buildings Trust in partnership with Fife Council

We're the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. We are at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future. Across Scotland, we investigate and record architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes and care for more than 300 properties of national importance. HES is also working with sector partners to deliver Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.

Historic Scotland, trove.scot, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle and Stòr are sub-brands of HES.

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