From an Initial Idea to a Stronger Conservation Project

ConserveConnect Grant Support helps owners, communities and organisations understand the possible funding, conservation and specialist-support pathways available to historic building and heritage projects.

Conservation projects can be difficult to navigate, particularly at the beginning. Funding criteria, surveys, planning and listed-building requirements, specialist appointments, project costs and the condition of the building may all need to be considered before a project is ready to move forward.

The ConserveConnect Grant Support pathway is designed to provide an accessible starting point. It can help identify possible next steps, relevant funding routes and specialist expertise, and, where appropriate, provide a route into more structured project-development and coordination support.

Who Grant Support Is For

Grant Support is intended for people and organisations caring for historic buildings, places and community heritage. This may include:

• Owners and custodians of listed and historic buildings
• Community groups and local heritage organisations
• Churches, places of worship and charitable organisations
• Trusts and organisations responsible for historic assets
• Projects involving buildings at risk
• Community-led conservation and regeneration initiatives
• Traditional building repair and restoration projects
• Appropriate adaptive reuse projects involving significant historic fabric

The ConserveConnect Grant Support Pathway

Every project is different. Some may need only initial guidance and signposting. Others may require specialist reports, professional appointments, funding development or continued coordination. The pathway therefore develops according to the needs of the project rather than applying the same process to every enquiry.

Step 1 — Create a Free ConserveConnect Account

The process begins by creating a free ConserveConnect account. Your account provides a place from which to submit and manage your Grant Support enquiry and access other relevant ConserveConnect services.

Create a Free Account

Step 2 — Submit a Free Grant Support Enquiry

Once registered, you can tell us about the building or heritage project, the work you are considering and the type of support you may need.

Useful information may include:

• The building or heritage asset and its location
• Its age, significance or listed status where known
• Current condition and any urgent repair requirements
• The aims of the proposed project
• Existing surveys, reports or professional advice
• Known planning or listed-building considerations
• Estimated project costs or budgets where available
• The type or scale of funding being sought

You do not need to have all of this information before making an enquiry. One purpose of the initial review is to help identify what may still be needed.

Begin a Grant Support Enquiry

Step 3 — Initial Project & Funding Review

ConserveConnect reviews the information supplied to understand the project and identify possible next steps. We may contact you for clarification or additional information where this would help us understand the enquiry.

Depending on the project, the initial review may consider:

• Possible grant and funding pathways
• The apparent stage of project readiness
• Conservation and heritage considerations
• Surveys or supporting evidence that may be required
• Potential professional or specialist requirements
• Planning or listed-building considerations requiring further investigation
• Potential next steps in developing the project

Some enquiries may be resolved through initial guidance and signposting. Other projects may benefit from more structured support.

Step 4 — Specialist Support & Project Development

Where a project would benefit from additional expertise, ConserveConnect may help identify or connect the project with appropriate professionals, craftspeople, consultants, contractors, suppliers or specialist organisations within or beyond the ConserveConnect network.

Depending on the project, further support may include:

• Conservation professional introductions
• Specialist contractor or craft sourcing
• Heritage consultant coordination
• Development of project information and supporting material
• Grant and funding application support
• Procurement and conservation-support coordination
• Community and stakeholder engagement support
• Identification of additional surveys, reports or specialist input

Where appropriate, projects may also be invited into the restricted-access ConserveConnect Partner Workspace, allowing relevant project information and documentation to be organised and shared as part of a more structured collaboration.

Step 5 — Ongoing Coordination

Larger or more complex projects may require support over a longer period as surveys are completed, funding strategies develop and different specialists become involved.

Ongoing support may include:

• Consultant and specialist coordination
• Phased project planning
• Funding pathway development
• Grant application coordination
• Project information and documentation development
• Strategic conservation guidance
• Coordination between project owners and relevant conservation services

What Grant Support Can Help You Understand

An important part of the process is understanding what needs to happen before a project is ready for funding or implementation. Depending on the circumstances, this may involve questions such as:

• What is significant about the building or place?
• What repairs or interventions are genuinely necessary?
• Is there enough evidence about condition and proposed works?
• Which professional skills or surveys are needed?
• What consents or permissions might apply?
• Which types of funding may be worth investigating?
• Is the project sufficiently developed to approach funders?
• What could strengthen the project before a funding application is made?

Typical Projects

ConserveConnect Grant Support may be relevant to projects involving:

• Listed Buildings & Historic Homes – significant repairs, fabric conservation and restoration
• Buildings at Risk – projects seeking a viable route towards repair and continued use
• Community Heritage – locally led projects protecting significant buildings, places or cultural assets
• Churches & Charitable Assets – repair, conservation and sustainable use of historic community buildings
• Traditional Building Repair – projects requiring appropriate materials, crafts and conservation expertise
• Adaptive Reuse – finding viable new or continued uses while respecting significant historic fabric
• Conservation Area Initiatives – projects concerned with groups of buildings, streets or neighbourhood character
• Civic & Public Heritage – community buildings, historic public spaces and locally significant assets

Free Initial Support & Further Project Services

Creating a ConserveConnect account and submitting an initial Grant Support enquiry are free.

Where a project requires more substantial research, grant preparation, project development, specialist coordination or ongoing support, ConserveConnect may offer additional services or propose involvement by third-party professionals.

Where a ConserveConnect service involves a fee, the scope and price will be explained before you decide whether to proceed. Appointments of independent professionals or contractors may involve separate fees and contractual arrangements directly with those providers.

Important Information

Grant funding is competitive and eligibility varies between funding programmes, geographical areas, building types, applicants and project objectives. ConserveConnect therefore cannot guarantee that a particular project will qualify for funding or that an application will be successful.

Projects may require additional work before they are ready to proceed, including:

• Condition or building surveys
• Conservation assessments
• Architectural or technical information
• Planning permission or listed-building consent
• Professional appointments
• Cost plans, quotations or procurement information
• Evidence of community need or public benefit
• Additional information required by a particular funder

ConserveConnect provides a conservation support, connection and project-development framework. Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, general Grant Support guidance should not be treated as legal, financial, planning, architectural, surveying, engineering or other regulated professional advice.

Where specialist professional advice is required, the project owner remains responsible for appointing an appropriately qualified adviser.

Your Project Information

Grant Support enquiries may contain information about historic buildings, project proposals, budgets, surveys, photographs and other supporting documentation. ConserveConnect handles personal and project information in accordance with its Privacy Policy and Data Protection & Personal Information notice.

Please avoid submitting confidential, personal or sensitive information that is not reasonably necessary for the initial enquiry.

Begin Your Project

If you are responsible for a historic building, community heritage initiative, restoration project or appropriate adaptive reuse proposal and would like help understanding possible funding and project-support pathways, begin with a free Grant Support enquiry.

Create a Free Account

Begin a Grant Support Enquiry

Looking for More Structured Project Support?

Some heritage projects require more than initial funding signposting. They may need a coordinated programme of project development, grant preparation, specialist collaboration, phased planning and continuing support.

ConserveConnect’s Advanced Grant Support pathway is intended for suitable projects requiring this more structured approach, including access to the ConserveConnect Partner Workspace where appropriate.

ConserveConnect’s Advanced Grant Support pathway is intended for suitable projects requiring this more structured approach, including access to the ConserveConnect Partner Workspace where appropriate.

Explore Advanced Grant Support