Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced funding of £3.9 million from its Partnership Fund grants to be shared among seven organisations.
These third sector bodies already have a track record in contributing to heritage work in Scotland with their activities and national programmes as well as financial support.
The monies are allocated to:
Heritage Developed & Sustained (Architectural Heritage Fund) – Deliver AHF’s grant programmes in Scotland – HES grant: £1,979,500
Protect and conserve war memorials (War Memorials Trust) – Support the repair and care of war memorials – HES grant: £73,037
Making Greater Impacts Through Archaeology (Archaeology Scotland) – Help communities manage and engage with local archaeology – HES grant: £805,307
Advocacy for Scotland’s Historic Environment (Built Environment Forum Scotland) – Support the historic environment sector through lobbying and career development – HES grant: £574,075
Scotland’s Diverse Heritage (Scottish Civic Trust) – Engage with marginalised and underrepresented audiences – HES grant: £137,471
A new life after worship – Securing the future of Scotland’s most important ‘at risk’ churches (Historic Churches Scotland) – Work with communities to safeguard nationally important places of worship – HES grant: £312,600
Learning & Outreach Development 2025/26 (New Lanark Trust) – Teach people about New Lanark, one of Scotland’s seven World Heritage Sites – HES grant: £22,000
Alison Turnbull, Director of External Relations and Partnerships at HES, said: “Community engagement is at the heart of our work, and what better way to involve communities than by supporting the organisations that serve them? Our Partnership Fund has awarded grants to seven projects which reflect our commitment to strengthening the resilience of Scotland’s historic environment in different ways.
“These projects support investment into traditional skills and retrofitting, encourage communities to engage with their local archaeology and places of worship, and help communities adapt historic buildings for social and economic benefit. At their core, these initiatives embody the principle of heritage for all, ensuring that everyone can access, participate in, and benefit from Scotland’s rich historic environment. And this is just the beginning. We expect the benefits of these projects to have a long-lasting and sustainable impact on the historic environment and communities across Scotland for years to come.”
The announcement was made at Gracemount Mansion which is one of the projects which has received support in the past from both HES and the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF). This fund helps community-led groups across Scotland find sustainable new uses for historic buildings in ways that directly benefit local people and places. This time around the AHF receives the biggest share of funding at £1.9 million.
The support for Gracemount Mansion is being used to secure ownership of the mansion and re-open it for the local community once again, starting with emergency repairs.
A spokesperson said: “HES have also been able to award the Gracemount Mansion Development Trust £49,999 interim funding to address critical repairs, and we continue to work with the Trust whilst they prepare the content of a wider repair scheme.”
Matthew McKeague, CEO of the AHF, said: “We are immensely grateful to Historic Environment Scotland for this renewed and increased investment in our grants and support programme. It will extend our valued long-term strategic partnership and will enable us to continue providing funding and guidance over the next three years to support communities across Scotland, to take control of and adapt historic buildings for sustainable social and economic impact.”
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