Historic England has launched Neighbourhood Heritage: Grants for Communities, offering around 21 grants of up to £15,000 for community-led projects in England. The programme will use heritage to help communities influence and shape the future of their local places. Historic England is the public body responsible for championing and protecting England’s historic environment.

Projects can include community mapping, local research, oral histories, creative activities, workshops and heritage audits. Heritage can include locally significant buildings, places, sites and stories and does not need to be nationally listed. Projects must be co-created with underrepresented communities.

The type of activities that could be funded include:

• Community mapping to identify buildings, places, landmarks and stories that local people value.
• Oral history and local research exploring residents’ memories and experiences of their neighbourhood.
• Heritage audits or surveys that gather evidence about locally important places.
• Workshops and creative activities that help residents explore local identity and heritage.
• Projects enabling underrepresented communities to have a stronger voice in planning, regeneration or local decision-making.
• Activities that use heritage to build confidence, strengthen community identity and create new relationships.
• Community-led research that helps influence how a neighbourhood is developed or improved.

Highlights:

• Constituted community groups, charities, CICs and local authorities can apply.
• Projects must take place in an IMD 1–3 area, within England’s 30% most deprived neighbourhoods.
• Priority communities include disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQ+ and minority ethnic communities, and people facing socio-economic disadvantage.

Projects must run between March 2027 and August 2028. Applications must be submitted by email by 11.59pm on 27 November 2026. Eligible organisations with a strong community-led heritage idea are encouraged to check the full guidance and prepare their application well before the deadline, particularly where partnership working or community co-design will be needed.

Useful Links:

Neighbourhood Heritage Grant – Guidance