Historic Houses Foundation grants: what they fund and how to apply

Funder Last checked 11 July 2026

The Country Houses Foundation — known as the Historic Houses Foundation from 2019 until June 2026 — gives grants to repair and conserve historic country houses, their gardens, grounds and works of art in England and Wales. Grants run from £1,000 to £250,000, most under £50,000, for owners who open their places to the public.

What the Foundation funds

The Foundation gives grants for the repair and conservation of rural historic buildings and structures in England and Wales, including their gardens, grounds and outbuildings. It also makes smaller grants for the restoration and conservation of works of art in historic house collections that are open to the public. Past work ranges from castle roofs to follies, historic gateways, garden terraces, stable yards and glasshouses.

It aims to help projects that do not qualify for mainstream funding, or that have only been part-funded elsewhere. It will not fund routine maintenance, minor repairs, general running costs, alterations and improvements, non-historic fabric, or work started before a written grant offer is accepted. Churches and chapels are excluded unless linked to a country house or estate.

How much you can apply for

The minimum grant is £1,000 and the maximum is £250,000, although an award that large is only made in exceptional circumstances. Most grants are for less than £50,000. Match funding is not required, but the Foundation expects you to make some contribution from your own resources and to have considered other sources of funding. It can also respond quickly to genuine emergencies.

Who can apply

Applications are accepted from organisations and private individuals — charities, institutions, local authorities and owners. You must have legal responsibility for the repair. The Foundation normally expects you to own the building or structure, or to hold a full repairing lease with at least 20 years to run; if not, you should have a legally binding agreement to acquire it. Owners must show a sustainable, long-term commitment to caring for the place and opening it to the public. The building is normally listed, though an unlisted building may be funded, particularly in a conservation area.

Deadlines and rounds

There are no fixed deadlines. The process has two stages. You send a pre-application form first, so the Foundation can confirm whether your project fits before you incur costs; it aims to reply within about 28 days. If your pre-application is successful, trustees arrange a site visit. You may then be invited to submit a full application, which is considered at the next quarterly trustee meeting, with a decision within 7 days of that meeting.

How to apply

Read both the pre-application and full application guidance first. At the time of checking, online pre-applications were paused, so use the Word or PDF pre-application form on the Foundation’s website. Works of art applications skip the pre-application stage and use a separate form. Full application forms must be sent as a signed hard copy, though supporting reports and photographs can be sent digitally. Start the grant application process here: countryhousesfoundation.org/grant-application.

Tips

  • Take professional advice early — from your local authority conservation officer, a heritage agency or a suitable conservation organisation — and include a professional adviser’s report with your full application.
  • Be clear about public access and long-term sustainability: the Foundation wants to know how future repair and maintenance will be funded.
  • Send everything the form asks for. Incomplete applications cannot be assessed.
  • If your building is unlisted, explain any conservation-area status, as that can still make it eligible.

Official source and last updated

Last updated: July 2026. Grant details from the Foundation’s own site (countryhousesfoundation.org/grant-introduction) and the Charity Commission register (charity 1111049). Always check the funder’s website for the latest guidance before applying.

Recent grants

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Similar funders

Check if your charity is eligible for funders like this — CharityIQ’s free Grant Finder matches your charity to real, published UK funders and cites the source for each. → /grant-finder/

Frequently asked questions

Yes. It is one charity (number 1111049). It was set up in 2005 as the Country Houses Foundation, was called the Historic Houses Foundation from 2019, and reverted to Country Houses Foundation at the end of June 2026 to avoid confusion with the membership body Historic Houses. The grant programme has not changed. Its former web address, historichousesfoundation.org.uk, is still online but has not been updated since the rename, so use countryhousesfoundation.org for current information.

The building is normally listed, though the Foundation may fund an unlisted building, particularly in a conservation area. Public access is a core condition: grants go to owners who show a long-term commitment to caring for the place and opening it to the public. The structure should be rural.

The minimum grant is £1,000 and the maximum is £250,000, though an award that large is only made in exceptional cases. Most grants are for less than £50,000. Match funding is not required, but the Foundation expects some contribution from your own resources and evidence that you have looked at other funders.

Charities, institutions, local authorities and private individuals can apply. You must have legal responsibility for the repair — normally owning the building, or holding a full repairing lease with at least 20 years to run, or a binding agreement to acquire it.

There are no fixed deadlines. You can send a pre-application form at any time and the Foundation aims to respond within about 28 days. If invited to a full application, it is considered at the next quarterly trustee meeting, with a decision within 7 days of that meeting.