This programme supports projects that will contribute to the transformation of high streets and town centres in England helping them become thriving places, strengthening local communities and encouraging local economies to prosper. It is part of a wider initiative to revive heritage high streets in England, alongside Historic England’s High Streets Heritage Action Zones. Together, these programmes form part of the Future High Streets Fund, administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Our programme is for individual heritage buildings in, or transferring to, community ownership. We will support charities and social enterprises to develop projects with the potential to bring new life to high streets by creating alternative uses for redundant or underused historic buildings in town centres.
The AHF can provide grants to help with assessing the viability of a project, or to help fund development costs or to match funds raised through Crowdfunding and Community Shares. We will also provide a small number of capital (delivery) grants for Transformational Projects.
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Project Viability Grants: up to £15,000, for early viability and feasibility work, open now for applications.
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Project Development Grants: up to £100,000, for capital project development costs, open now for applications.
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Crowdfunding Challenge Grants: up to £25,000, to match fund crowdfunding campaigns, open now for applications. Please note the additional guidance and supplementary questions.
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Transformational Project Grants: up to £350,000, for transformational capital projects, currently closed for applications.
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Community Shares Booster Grants: Apply here
The programme will focus on places where strategic regeneration programmes are planned or are already underway. This includes Heritage Action Zones or places that have secured funding through the Future High Streets Fund. Historic building projects located within other area-based regeneration programmes, such as Townscape Heritage areas or where an applicant can demonstrate a significant community-led strategic approach is in place, will also be considered. Projects should not be standalone but sit within a wider initiative to regenerate and bring a new purpose to the immediate surrounding area.
Please note that our grants cannot be used to fund the same work that is being grant-aided through a Future High Streets Fund or High Streets Heritage Action Zone programme. These strands of funding cannot partner each other, but will fund projects that are complementary. These strands of funding may separately fund different stages of one project.
To apply you must normally be a formally constituted as one of the following:
- Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs or SCIOs)
- Charitable Companies Limited by Guarantee
- Not-for-private-profit Companies Limited by Guarantee
- Community Interest Companies (CICs) Limited by Guarantee
- Community Benefit Societies
- Co-operatives
- Parish and Town Councils; Community Councils (in Scotland and Wales)
For Project Viability Grants only, applications can be received from non-incorporated organisations, as long as there is a longer-term plan to become incorporated in one of the forms listed above.
The following are not eligible to apply for our funds/support:
- Private individuals.
- Unincorporated trusts or associations.
- Local authorities and other public sector bodies.
- For-private-profit companies, unless in a partnership led by incorporated charity, community business or social enterprise.
- Churches or other places of worship, where the building will remain in use primarily as a place of religious worship
If you are not sure if your organisation is one we would consider, then complete an enquiry form and we will provide further advice.
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