We are aware that many of our grantees will be affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Our grants team remains in place, and we encourage you to get in touch if you are encountering difficulties or consider your organisation to be at risk.
In the coming days and weeks, we will be listening to our grantees to find out how their work is likely to be affected. We will also be talking with other funders and considering how we can work together to provide support. More detailed advice for grantees and applicants is provided below:
Contacting the HES Grants Team
The HES Grants Team is currently working from home, and we aim to provide our normal service as far as possible. If you need to contact your Grants Manager, please do this by email, and a call will be arranged if necessary. If you are not an existing grantee and have a question, please contact us at grants@hes.scot, and we will reply as soon as possible.
Grant payments
Until further notice, existing grantees should send all grant payment claims to their Grants Managers by email, copying in grants@hes.scot. Please do not send claims or other correspondence by post as office closures will lead to an unacceptable delay in processing claims. If you are experiencing cash flow issues as a result of the crisis, please contact your Grants Manager to discuss the possibility of varying your current payment schedule.
Postponements or cancellation of activities
We understand that the timing of grant-funded activities may slip due to circumstances beyond your control. In these cases, we will aim to be as flexible as possible with regards to the postponement or cancellation of activities. If costs have already been incurred and cannot be recovered, these costs can still be claimed under your grant.
We expect grantees to act as responsible employers during the current crisis situation and honour contracts with self-employed persons wherever possible. Where it is not possible to continue delivery of the grant-funded activity, grantees should apply to ‘Support for Businesses under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme’ in relation to covering salary costs. All UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. Find out how to access the scheme
Changes to programmed activity
You may have ideas for different ways to deliver activities during this period (e.g. online instead of in person) which may still achieve your grant outcomes. If you have any proposals of this type, please get in touch with your Grants Manager to discuss.
New applications
The current Historic Environment Support Fund round will remain open until the next application deadline on 30 November 2020 and the Historic Environment Repair Grant round will remain open until the next application deadline on 31 December 2020. Please see more information on how to apply.
Future grants rounds
Our intention is to run future funding rounds as planned where possible, but further updates will be provided in due course.
Expressions of interest
Please continue to submit expressions of interests as usual, and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.
Other sources of support
In addition to government support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme mentioned above, the following sources of support may be of interest:
- HES, Museums Galleries Scotland and the Association for Scottish Visitor Attractions have designed a programme focussed on Rebuilding Income Streams, being delivered through the Social Enterprise Academy.
- The National Lottery Heritage Fund is running a £50m Heritage Emergency Fund for heritage organisations across the UK.
- In addition to their normal grant programmes focusing on community-led heritage regeneration, Architectural Heritage Fund Scotland may be able to offer additional support to existing and recent grantees who are encountering difficulties as a result of COVID-19.
- Built Environment Forum Scotland, Museums Galleries Scotland and greenspace Scotland have launched a strategic programme focussed on building the resilience of the heritage sector. The Major Investment in Sector Resilience Training is now receiving expressions of interest.
- If you are responsible for an independent accredited museum, you may be eligible for Museums Galleries Scotland’s Urgent Response COVID-19 Fund or their COVID-19 Adaptation Fund.
- Charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations working in Scotland may be eligible for grants or loans from the Third Sector Resilience Fund.
- Arts and Business Scotland have compiled links to a range of other Sources of Advice and Support for the cultural sector.