Grants of between £1,000 and £30,000 are available to UK registered charities, recognised public bodies, Community Benefit Societies and Community Interest Companies limited by guarantee to support the preservation and repair of historic buildings, structures, architectural features, and the conservation of culturally and historically significant collections and objects.
The Pilgrim Trust has recently opened the following two grant programmes, each with an application deadline of Friday 2 October 2026:
- Historic Buildings and Structures Preservation Grants (UK), and
- Conservation of Cultural Heritage Grants (UK)
Historic Buildings and Structures Preservation Grants
The Historic Buildings and Structures grant supports the preservation and repair of historic buildings, structures, and architectural features.
Grant support is generally between £1,000 and £30,000, with an average of approximately £15,000. Sometimes larger sums are considered.
The focus areas are preservation, repair, sustainable conservation and re-use of historic buildings, particularly those at risk and of outstanding importance, as well as project development, professional surveys, capital works, and best practice in preservation, repair, and conservation work.
The programme considers projects holistically to identify where a grant can have the greatest impact and help organisations unlock other sources of funding.
It often acts as a stepping-stone funder, supporting the early stages of projects where assistance is needed to develop a scheme, including initial exploratory and project development work, professional surveys, and capital works.
Typically, the programme funds smaller charities that have less access to resources. Architects and building contractors used for projects should be experienced in the repair of historic buildings.
Eligible applicants include UK registered charities, organisations with exempt charitable status, recognised public bodies, Community Benefit Societies, and Community Interest Companies limited by guarantee.
The work or project must be UK based and must not be complete, as retrospective grants are not provided.
Conservation of Cultural Heritage Grants
The Cultural Heritage Conservation grant supports the conservation of culturally and historically significant collections and objects.
Grants generally range from £1,000 to £30,000 (average approximately £15,000), supporting both the direct conservation work and associated activities that enhance the care and accessibility of collections.
The Conservation of Cultural Heritage Grants programme supports the preservation and conservation of collections and objects that are of cultural and historical significance within the United Kingdom. The scheme focuses on works of art, books, significant ephemera, artefacts, and archives, with an emphasis on enabling greater public access and knowledge sharing as outcomes of funded projects.
Projects must involve conservation work carried out by an accredited conservator, guided by a conservation report that includes a condition assessment, proposed treatment, and full costings. The program encourages applicants to incorporate paid internships or placements to foster professional development in the conservation sector.
Eligible applicants include UK registered charities, organisations with exempt charitable status, recognised public bodies, Community Benefit Societies, and Community Interest Companies (CIC) limited by guarantee. All projects must be UK-based and not already completed, as retrospective grants are not provided.
The application deadline for both programmes is Friday 2 October 2026. Applicants should complete the Eligibility Quiz on the Trust's website in the first instance.