New Investment in Heritage to Protect and Conserve Heritage Buildings
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced £1.5 billion will be invested in capital projects across the arts, cultural and heritage sectors.
This includes £230 million for heritage to protect and conserve heritage buildings, including listed places of worship, across the country.
- £75 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings. This builds on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, launched in 2025.
- £46 million for the Heritage Revival Fund, run by the Architectural Heritage Fund which helps communities to take control of and look after local heritage and bring buildings back into public use.
- In recognition of the important role religious heritage buildings play in the UK's national story, a new £92 million fund called the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will replace the £23 million Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and bring these important buildings into line with other heritage assets. It will give them access to the same level of financial support from the government as historic houses, monuments and other heritage sites.
This investment will help restore national pride in community assets and bring people together.
It will increase opportunities for people to engage in and experience world class arts and culture, and learn about their local history, their heritage and their neighbours, in every town and city across the country.
Investment will be in areas and organisations that need it most and that have been previously under-funded.
At a time when forces seek to divide us, arts, culture and heritage are what bind us together.
Our local cultural institutions aren’t just buildings — they’re part of who we are as a nation, they help tell our national story, and provide unique opportunities for young people to pursue their dreams.
This funding will keep the doors open and the lights on at thousands of arts organisations, museums, libraries and heritage buildings that might otherwise have been at real risk of closing. It will unlock opportunities for millions of people who have been shut out for far too long. That is the Britain we are rebuilding.
This is a highly significant allocation of culture and heritage funding. It is a clear signal that the government recognises that the nation’s historic places matter deeply to people. We have just unveiled firm evidence that historic places are vital for our mental wellbeing and people feel profound emotional connections with them. Heritage boosts pride, shapes places where businesses thrive and drives prosperity. It has so much to contribute. This funding will act as a lifeline for heritage across the country, from places of worship to ancient pubs and will give the heritage sector a well-needed boost.
Full details of individual schemes, including specific requirements and application guidance will be published in due course.
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