Heritage and Place Fund

The Heritage and Place Fund is best for big, long‑term, place‑based partnerships.

This programme is about supporting whole places, not individual projects. It funds long‑term programmes of activity that bring together multiple partners to improve, care for, and celebrate the historic environment in a particular area.

The Heritage and Place Fund (HPF) supports communities to care for, improve and breathe new life into Scotland’s historic places. It is an area‑based funding programme that helps people use local heritage as a positive force for everyday life, pride in place and long‑term sustainability.

The fund supports heritage‑led projects in conservation areas, or in other clearly defined historic areas that are recognised by the local authority. Schemes should be shaped by local priorities, developed through partnership, and closely connected to what communities want and need.

We welcome applications from:

• Local authorities

• National park authorities

• Suitably experienced not‑for‑profit organisations based in Scotland

Individual property owners cannot apply directly.

This fund supports programmes that bring together:

• Repair and reuse of historic buildings and places

• Training in traditional skills and materials

• Activities that help communities connect with, value and care for their heritage

Together, these elements help ensure that historic places can be looked after and enjoyed for generations to come.

Successful Heritage and Place schemes are built on strong partnerships, clear local need, and a shared vision for place.

Where a not-for-profit organisation is the lead applicant, they must:

• Demonstrate experience of managing similar projects and funding levels

• Work in partnership with the relevant local or national park authority

• Enter into a Joint Delivery Agreement for the development and delivery of the scheme

Community participation must be central to the design and delivery of the programme, with clear evidence of local engagement and support.

To be eligible for the Heritage and Place Fund, your scheme must meet the following criteria:

• Location: The programme takes place within a defined historic area of heritage significance that has local authority recognition.

• Strategic fit: Objectives align with the local authority’s strategic approach to place and regeneration.

• Demonstrated need: Clear evidence that repair and regeneration is needed within the area and that your scheme will focus on repair and resilience, traditional skills training and materials, community heritage engagement and future management and maintenance.

• Community demand: Identified interest and demand from the local community for the activities proposed.

• Funding need and match funding: A clear case for HES funding, alongside the ability to attract local authority funding and other match funding.

• Grant priorities: Your project will deliver on our Grant Priorities.

The Heritage and Place Fund operates through a two-stage application process: a Development Phase, followed by a Delivery Phase.

Development Phase

The Development Phase helps applicants plan and shape a strong delivery proposal. Funding can support:

• Staff and project management costs

• Professional and specialist consultancy services

• Historic asset condition surveys

• Local skills and materials audits

• Community engagement and consultation activities

Development funding is match funded by HES and typically covers up to 50% of eligible costs. The Development Phase is expected to last no more than 12 months.

Completion of this phase should result in a clear, costed and well-developed Delivery Phase proposal.

Delivery Phase

The Delivery Phase supports the implementation of the scheme and will respond directly to the needs of the area and its community. A typical programme may include:

• Repair and resilience projects. Grant-funded repair and reuse of historic buildings and assets, delivered via third‑party grants to owners or long-term leaseholders. All repairs must use appropriate techniques and traditional materials.

• Traditional skills training and materials. Activities designed to strengthen local skills capacity and address identified skills gaps.

• Community heritage activities. Projects that help people explore, celebrate and understand their local heritage.

• Management and maintenance planning. Work to build long-term community capacity to care for the historic environment, including future management and maintenance strategies.

The Delivery Phase typically lasts up to five years. On completion, you will need to ensure that there are processes in place to deliver ongoing monitoring of the grant aided works and the management and maintenance strategy for the scheme area.

Our Delivery Phase grants typically range between £750,000 and £1.5 million, depending on scheme size and match funding. There is no fixed upper limit, but funding must represent good value and clear impact.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to explore additional area-based funding, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Grants for Heritage, to maximise investment.

Historic Environment Scotland works closely with the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support area-based regeneration. Application deadlines are aligned where possible to help organisations seeking funding from both bodies.

If you are applying to both funds, you must submit a separate Expression of Interest to each organisation.

Joint information sessions, guidance and recorded presentations are available to help applicants understand how the two programmes can complement each other.

If your EOI is approved, you will be invited to submit a Development Phase application. Development Phase applications are assessed competitively as a group.

All applications must be submitted through our online Grants Portal. We strongly recommend reading the full guidance before applying.

If you experience any issues with the system, please contact grants@hes.scot.

Submit your EOI on our Grants Portal

The Heritage and Place Fund uses a staged application process:

Other resources

Many of our resources are standard across all three of the funds we offer. If you can't find the documentation you're looking for here, try our resources page.

Visit our grants resources page