Boost for historic environment in Scotland as third sector organisations awarded funding

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced the first recipients of its new Partnership Fund grant scheme, awarding a total of £3,566,935 to 11 organisations.

Article Source: Historic Environment Scotland (HES)
Last Updated: 24 April 2023 10:40

National Trust for Scotland, Keep Scotland Beautiful and the Scottish Civic Trust amongst those receiving funding from Historic Environment Scotland

Designed to support a relatively small number of third-sector organisations, the new fund is available to organisations with established activities closely aligned with HES strategic priorities. This includes projects which have a positive national impact for Scotland’s historic environment or the historic environment sector.

Recipients of this year’s fund include National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which has been awarded over £1 million as part of a three-year scheme to support their annual maintenance programme, as well as delivering conservation repairs to assets across the NTS estate. The funding will also support the delivery of a training programme to upskill and engage staff and volunteers to improve knowledge of conservation repairs and practice.

The Scottish Civic Trust (SCT) has been awarded £304,263 for their Doors Open Days and My Place Photography Competition. As part of Doors Open Day, members of the public can explore over 3,000 buildings in Scotland which are normally closed. The funding will also allow the Trust to invest further in digital platforms to increase virtual engagement and reach new audiences. The My Place Photography Competition is set to be relaunched and will aim to help refugees and asylum seekers understand their local built environment and communicate their place within it, using photography as a means of investigation and creative expression.

Keep Scotland Beautiful has also been awarded £594,495 for their project: ‘Our Heritage Our Future: Community, Climate and Heritage Action’. The project will support communities to identify the historic assets that they value, which will then form the basis of a programme of community heritage and climate action, with Keep Scotland Beautiful providing skills development to enable care, recording and conservation for future generations.

Susan O’Connor, Head of Grants at HES, said: “I am delighted to announce the recipients of our new Partnership Fund which we launched just last year. We are supporting a diverse range of organisations as part of the scheme, from archaeology and traditional skills development to community engagement and climate action, and I look forward to seeing these projects in action over the coming years.”

Culture Minister Christina McKelvie said: “I’m pleased to see such a diverse range of projects receiving funding from Historic Environment Scotland’s new grant scheme for the third sector. The awards will help to widen access to culture and heritage as well as provide skills development at a local level.

“This new Partnership Fund also aligns with Scottish Government ambitions to build a well-being economy to create more resilient and sustainable communities in response to climate change.”

The organisations awarded grant funding through the Partnership Fund are:

National Trust for Scotland: £1,062,000
To support their annual maintenance programme for the next three years. As well as delivering conservation repairs to assets across the NTS estate, there will also be delivery of a training programme to upskill and engage with NTS staff and volunteers to improve knowledge of conservation repairs and practice.

Keep Scotland Beautiful: £594,495
To support communities to identify the historic assets that they value which will then form the basis of a programme of community heritage and climate action.

The SCAPE Trust: £446,007
The Trust will carry out coastal heritage survey work, focussing on areas not previously surveyed, and working collaboratively with volunteers to consider solutions for how to manage issues resulting from coastal erosion due to climate change. The Trust will also present and promote the work they do on a national and international platform.

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland: £318,236
To support the continuation of the highly successful Dig It! project which aims to empower new and hard to reach audiences and communities to get involved in archaeology over the next three years by participating in partnership projects.

Scottish Civic Trust: £304,263
The funding will support Doors Open Days and the My Place Photography Competition.

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland: £276,060
To create and deliver a new Regional Research Framework for the Clyde Valley area.

Scottish Traditional Building Forum: £235,500
The funding will support activity to encourage careers and skills development, raise the profile of the sector and increase the energy efficiency and impact of investment in traditional buildings.

Chartered Institute for Archaeologists: £147,926
To research and provide sector support for different routes into archaeology.

Heritage Trust Network: £132,348
To support the Heritage Trust Network activities which are delivered by their dedicated Development Officer for Scotland.

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland: £28,948
To support the creation of a regional research framework for Scotland's islands.

ALGAO Scotland: £21,170
To support the creation of guidance for materials to be added to museums.

For further information on HES’s grants programmes, including the Partnership Fund, visit the HES website. To submit an expression of interest, visit the HES Grants Portal.

Image courtesy of the Heritage Trust Network; Glasgow Building Preservation Trust's West Boathouse (Glasgow Green) project, completed West Boathouse exterior.

Image credit: David Collie Photography

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Boost for historic environment in Scotland as third sector organisations awarded funding

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced the first recipients of its new Partnership Fund grant scheme, awarding a total of £3,566,935 to 11 organisations.

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