Heritage Lottery Fund - Heritage Endowments
A new programme was launched in August 2016 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) called ‘heritage endowments’, intended to help organisations create a regular annual income.
The HLF wrote:
Helping people explore, enjoy and share their heritage, in all its diversity, is at the core of all we do at HLF. But that principle firmly relies on our heritage being open and accessible to the public, as well as safeguarded for the future.
As in any industry, an over reliance on a single source of income has the potential to weaken the resilience of a heritage organisation. Diversification is key and that’s why today we’ve launched Heritage Endowments. Heritage Endowments will enable organisations to create financial reserves that can be drawn on and invested to create a regular source of annual income.
Now, these are challenging economic times and we appreciate that building an endowment and attracting philanthropic giving isn’t easy. But where Heritage Endowments helps is by providing grants of £250,000, £500,000 or £1million that will be matched pound for pound by private donations.
Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of HLF, said: ‘Building an endowment is one way heritage organisations can enhance their long-term reserves, which is vital for financial resilience. In this difficult economic landscape that’s a challenging ask but Heritage Endowments is there to provide the boost needed to make it happen.’
This new endowments programme builds on the success of Catalyst Endowments. A partnership between the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, HLF and Arts Council England, Catalyst has helped over 30 heritage organisations diversify their income streams by attracting private donations to create endowments. Heritage Endowments aims to continue this success.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Conservation.
- Heritage Lottery Fund.
- Historic England.
- Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
- Listed buildings.
- Scheduled monuments.
- Scottish Natural Heritage.
- Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
[edit] External references
IHBC NewsBlog
Three reasons not to demolish Edinburgh’s Argyle House
Should 'Edinburgh's ugliest building' be saved?
IHBC’s 2025 Parliamentary Briefing...from Crafts in Crisis to Rubbish Retrofit
IHBC launches research-led ‘5 Commitments to Help Heritage Skills in Conservation’
How RDSAP 10.2 impacts EPC assessments in traditional buildings
Energy performance certificates (EPCs) tell us how energy efficient our buildings are, but the way these certificates are generated has changed.
700-year-old church tower suspended 45ft
The London church is part of a 'never seen before feat of engineering'.
The historic Old War Office (OWO) has undergone a remarkable transformation
The Grade II* listed neo-Baroque landmark in central London is an example of adaptive reuse in architecture, where heritage meets modern sophistication.
West Midlands Heritage Careers Fair 2025
Join the West Midlands Historic Buildings Trust on 13 October 2025, from 10.00am.
Former carpark and shopping centre to be transformed into new homes
Transformation to be a UK first.
Canada is losing its churches…
Can communities afford to let that happen?
131 derelict buildings recorded in Dublin city
It has increased 80% in the past four years.
Fate of historic Glasgow Vogue cinema decided after appeal
A decision has been made on whether or not it will be demolished.














