The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a registered charity (No. 266780) founded in 1976 to promote the conservation and re-use of historic buildings across the United Kingdom. As the leading social investor in the UK for over 40 years, it provides communities with advice, grants and loans to help them find enterprising and sustainable ways to revitalise the old buildings they love, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas.
Scope
To apply for an AHF grant, organisations must be a not-for-private-profit organisation or one of the lowest tiers of the local government.
The AHF provides loan finance to formally constituted incorporated charities, community businesses or social enterprises whose members have limited liability.
Buildings supported must be of historic or architectural importance – they may be listed, in a conservation area, or of special significance to the community.
As of 2020, the AHF had awarded loans with a total value of £125m to over 890 projects across the United Kingdom and disbursed more than 750 individual grants with a total value of over £10M.
Legal status
The fund is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee without a share capital and registered at Companies House number 01150304.
Example projects
Some of the projects the AHF has supported include:
Jubilee Pool, Penzance, Cornwall, EnglandRiddel's Warehouse, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern IrelandCircus Eruption, Swansea, WalesMidsteeple Quarter, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland170-175 High Street West, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, EnglandThe Woolstore, Caledon, County Tyrone, Northern IrelandHaverhub, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, WalesFruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
List of all case studies:
*https://ahfund.org.uk/news/case-studies/
Further reading
*Weir, Hilary. ''How to Rescue a Ruin - by setting up a local buildings preservation trust.'' 1990.
*Waterson, Merlin; Morrison, Ian. ''Rescue and Reuse: Communities, Heritage and Architecture.'' 2019.
*The Guardian.
From a Debenhams to a creative hub: closed stores get new lease in community life
'.
*The Guardian.
With tourism booming, Great Yarmouth dreams of turning the tide
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*The Times.
Former banks are given new lease of life
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*UK Fundraising.
Architectural Heritage Foundation launches £7m loan & social investment fund.
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*BBC News Northern Ireland.
Regeneration: The NI villages bringing new life to old buildings.
'
See also
*Building Preservation Trust
A Building Preservation Trust (BPT) is an organisation whose main aims include the preservation and regeneration of historic buildings.
* Building Preservation and Conservation Trusts in the UK
* U.K. Association of Building Preservation Trusts
*National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
*Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
*Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
*Cadw
(, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...
* Department for Communties
*Social Investment Business
Social Investment Business (SIB) is a UK registered charity and trading company that offers loans, grants and other financial products to charities and social enterprises.
SIB manages one of the largest social investment portfolios in the ...
References
External links
AHF Official Website.
*{{EW charity, 266780
Conservation in the United Kingdom
Heritage organizations
Charities based in London
History organisations based in the United Kingdom