Loans of up to £500,000 are available to UK not-for-profit organisations, including social enterprises, providing tailored investment that will secure a sustainable future for historic buildings across the UK.
The overarching objectives of the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) are to:
- Promote the permanent preservation for the benefit of the public, buildings monuments or other edifices or structures in the UK.
- Protect and conserve the character and heritage of the cities towns and villages in and around which such buildings monuments or other edifices of structures exist, and
- Advance public education of and interest in the conservation of the UK's built heritage.
The AHF is the UK's only specialist lender for charities and social enterprises working on or operating from historic buildings. It provides tailored investment to organisations working to secure a sustainable future for historic buildings across the UK.
Secured and unsecured loans of up to £500,000 are normally available with flexible repayment terms. The AHF typically applies a fixed interest rate of between 6.5% and 8% for all loans.
Loans can be used for a range of purposes, including:
- Redeveloping a building.
- Buying a building (freehold or leasehold).
- Working capital, including cashflow loans.
- Improvements to your building, including energy resilience improvements, and
- Supporting the development of new activities or services.
The AHF typically supports buildings that are listed or located within a conservation area. However, it will consider unlisted buildings outside of conservation areas if the applicant can demonstrate their historic or architectural significance.
The AHF offers a number of loan schemes, including:
- Heritage Impact Fund
- General Funds
- Energy Resilience Fund
- Community Builders Fund, and the
- Thrive Together Fund
Organisations interested in applying are advised to use the Funding Finder on the AHF website to find the right funding source for their project.
The AHF’s Investment Team will provide full support throughout the application process and beyond.
To check for eligibility, please see Eligibility under FAQs (scroll down to the bottom of the page).
An Expression of Interest may be submitted at any time. For further information, please visit the AHF website.