Arts & Heritage

Sustaining The Arts

We support artistic endeavour of the highest possible quality. This includes all forms of visual and performing arts. We are also interested in applications focused on bringing high quality arts to new audiences.

We will also support artistic endeavours aiming to develop the skills and confidence of disadvantaged groups. Examples of the type of work we might consider include music and drama workshops for prisoners and young offenders, and creative writing and media projects for young people living in areas with few youth facilities. Applications for projects of this type should be made under the relevant Social welfare programme.

Preserving Our Built Heritage

The Trust makes significant awards each year towards the protection and conservation of fine buildings, collections and artefacts that are of importance to our national heritage.

We also award grants towards training in conservation skills, especially where this overlaps with one or more of the areas listed under Social welfare e.g. providing job training for offenders or to people who have been long-term unemployed.

Please note that we are unable to fund routine maintenance, repairs, refurbishment or modernisation costs, or large-scale development projects, such as church restoration work or the construction of new village halls and local community centres.

Preserving Our Natural Heritage

The Trust supports a small number of environment projects each year, and is especially interested in work to restore historic gardens, and to protect and enhance beautiful landscapes or areas of special conservation value. Where the aim is 'conservation' our main focus is on broad biodiversity protects, rather than the preservation of individual species. 

We also award grants towards training in conservation skills (e.g. habitat management for conservation) and prioritise schemes that make this training more accessible.

In all cases, we will favour projects that link in with our other priority areas (for instance by engaging any of the disadvantaged groups outlined under our Social welfare category) and also consider projects that encourage greater public appreciation and enjoyment of the natural environment whilst still promoting sustainable use of these wonderful areas.