National Heritage Memorial Fund’s COVID-19 Response Fund
Is this fund right for you?
Are you applying for funding to support a nationally important heritage asset in the UK?
Is the heritage asset at risk due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Have you explored all other sources of funding?
Will the heritage asset be publicly accessible if you secure NHMF funding?
Are you a not-for-profit organisation?
If you have answered yes to the above questions, then this fund is for you.
Have you considered our standard funding stream?
If you would like to apply for funding for nationally important heritage that is not at risk due to the impact of COVID-19, refer to our standard funding stream.
Overview
Launched in June 2021, this funding stream offers project grants to support any heritage asset which is:
of outstanding importance to the national heritage
at risk due to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)
A total of £40million is being distributed by NHMF, made up of two lots of £20m:
NHMF has made a commitment of £20m, which is available to applicants from across the UK.
A £20m Cultural Assets Fund has been made available by DCMS as part of the government’s wider Culture Recovery Fund. This funding will safeguard nationally important heritage assets within England.
Distributing NHMF’s own commitment as a single fund with the Cultural Assets Fund will ensure a UK-wide balance of funding.
This funding is available until the end of April 2023. There are no deadlines for applications.
Things you need to know
Who can apply
charities
not-for-profit organisations, for example voluntary groups, trusts, social enterprises and community interest companies
public sector organisations
Who cannot apply
private individuals
commercial and for profit businesses
What can be funded
We can support any heritage asset which is of outstanding importance to the national heritage and at risk due to the impact of COVID-19, through a project grant.
Examples include:
works of fine and decorative art
museum collections
archives
manuscripts
items of industrial, transport and maritime heritage
historic buildings and land
NHMF can fund a range of costs in order to safeguard the heritage asset which is at risk. These include:
acquisition/purchase costs, including associated professional fees
transport costs, including conservation standard handling and packing for collections or heavy lift/transport costs for large items/historic vehicles
interim storage costs and investment in new permanent storage capacity
urgent conservation work necessary due to COVID-19 impact and investment to resolve maintenance backlog/deficit, collection care costs
condition surveys, cataloguing, management and conservation planning
professional fees, including legal and other fees to support asset transfer
ownership transition costs; fixed term support to enable sustainable rehoming of heritage asset
organisational development costs to support asset transfer; skills development/capacity building, business review and business planning support
What cannot be funded
We cannot fund:
organisational costs that are eligible to be covered by other Government support, for example, furloughing (inclusive of the remaining percentage of salary costs for staff not covered by the Government’s Job Retention Scheme), or any additional salary costs above the furloughing cap
redundancy costs of staff
costs that are avoidable in the short term
anything that contravenes the Governments’ advice on COVID-19
recoverable VAT
Nor can we fund items that have already been purchased, or that have been secured with a down payment or deposit. So if an item has already been paid for, you cannot apply for funding to reimburse the individual or organisation that bought it.
Other funding contributions
NHMF can fund heritage projects of all sizes and there is no limit to the percentage of funding that can be applied for. We appreciate that in these challenging times it may not be possible to secure other funding contributions.
However, NHMF operates as a fund of last resort, so we ask you to show that you have explored, or are exploring, all other possible sources of funding, including your own resources.
For more information, including how to apply, visit: https://www.nhmf.org.uk/funding/covid-19-response-fund