We've announced over £3.9 million in funding to seven organisations with a track record of making a significant contribution to Scotland’s historic environment through our latest round of Partnership Fund grants.
The Partnership Fund was created in 2021, replacing our Organisational Support Fund, to better help Scotland’s third sector promote, celebrate and enhance the country’s rich and diverse heritage. It funds organisations that engage with communities and make a national impact on Scotland’s historic environment through targeted activity, national programmes and financial support.
Alison Turnbull, Director of External Relations and Partnerships at HES, said:
“Community engagement is at the heart of our work, and what better way to involve communities than by supporting the organisations that serve them? Our Partnership Fund has awarded grants to seven projects which reflect our commitment to strengthening the resilience of Scotland’s historic environment in different ways.
These projects support investment into traditional skills and retrofitting, encourage communities to engage with their local archaeology and places of worship, and help communities adapt historic buildings for social and economic benefit.
“At their core, these initiatives embody the principle of heritage for all, ensuring that everyone can access, participate in, and benefit from Scotland’s rich historic environment. And this is just the beginning. We expect the benefits of these projects to have a long-lasting and sustainable impact on the historic environment and communities across Scotland for years to come.”
The largest single award, £1.9 million, was granted to the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) to support its ongoing efforts to help community-led groups across Scotland find sustainable new uses for historic buildings in ways that directly benefit local people and places.
The AHF’s ‘Heritage Developed & Sustained’ project enhances community engagement with historic environments and its use as a catalyst for climate action which supports key HES priorities in supporting Scotland’s journey to net zero. AHF has a particular focus on supporting groups with developing projects that serve areas of multiple deprivation or involve a building’s energy efficiency or environmental sustainability.
HES has previously provided grant funding for this project through the Organisational Support Fund, the predecessor to the Partnership Fund. Through advice and the financial support that it can offer as a result of the grant, the AHF has helped repurpose buildings to be used as affordable housing, community centres, workspaces and childcare facilities.
Matthew McKeague, CEO of the AHF, said:
“We are immensely grateful to HES for this renewed and increased investment in our grants and support programme. It will extend our valued long-term strategic partnership and will enable us to continue providing funding and guidance over the next three years to support communities across Scotland, to take control of and adapt historic buildings for sustainable social and economic impact.”
The announcement took place at Gracemount Mansion in Edinburgh, a community-led repair project supported by both HES and the AHF.
Find out more about the Partnership Fund. Organisations interested in applying to the Partnership Fund can submit an expression of interest no later than 15 August 2025.
The full list of projects to be funded this year are:
- Heritage Developed & Sustained (Architectural Heritage Fund) - Deliver AHF’s grant programmes in Scotland
- Protect and conserve war memorials (War Memorials Trust) - Support the repair and care of war memorials
- Making Greater Impacts Through Archaeology (Archaeology Scotland) - Help communities manage and engage with local archaeology
- Advocacy for Scotland's Historic Environment (Built Environment Forum Scotland) - Support the historic environment sector through lobbying and career development
- Scotland’s Diverse Heritage (Scottish Civic Trust) - Engage with marginalised and underrepresented audiences
- A new life after worship - Securing the future of Scotland’s most important ‘at risk’ churches (Historic Churches Scotland) - Work with communities to safeguard nationally important places of worship
- Learning & Outreach Development 2025/26 (New Lanark Trust) - Teach people about New Lanark, one of Scotland’s seven World Heritage Sites
More information about any of the funded projects is available on request.
About Historic Environment Scotland (HES)
- We are the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. It is at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future, investigating and recording architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes across Scotland and caring for more than 300 properties of national importance. We are also the lead on delivering Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.
- Historic Scotland, Scran, Canmore, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, and Edinburgh Castle are sub-brands of HES.
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For further information, please contact:
Robin Kepple
Historic Environment Scotland Media Office
Mobile: 07786 278 747
Email: robin.kepple@hes.scot