Historic Structures Fund

Stream 1: Grants between €15,000 and €50,000 - Essential repairs and small capital works for the refurbishment and conservation of historic structures to safeguard the structure and keep it in use

Stream 1:  Historic Shopfronts sub-stream Grants between €15,000 and €50,000 - Essential repairs and small capital works for the refurbishment and conservation of historic shop facades,

Stream 2: Grants between €50,000 and €200,000, or in exceptional circumstances over €200,000 - Successful Larger enhancement or significant refurbishment projects involving historic structures

Vernacular Structures Stream: Grants between €5,000 and €10,000 - Essential repairs and small capital works for the refurbishment and conservation of vernacular structures to safeguard the structure and keep it in use.

Invests essential capital in our valuable built heritage and help the owners and custodians of historic structures to safeguard them into the future for the benefit of communities and the public.

Main aims:

• Encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and to help secure the preservation of protected structures and/or culturally significant assets
• Enable larger scale conservation works to be carried out on heritage structures deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support
• Support the investment of private capital in labour-intensive projects to conserve historic structures in public and private ownership for community use.
• Support employment in the conservation and construction industries.
• Build resilience in our heritage properties to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change.

The Historic Structures Fund provides capital funding for works to qualifying structures which include the following:

1. Protected Structures: Structures in the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) of each Local Authority;
2. Structures eligible for or proposed for inclusion in the RPS but not yet formally approved for inclusion. Such structures must meet the criteria for inclusion in the RPS by the Local Authority, i.e. must be of special interest from an architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical point of view;
3. Structures or works within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs), or within the amenity of a National Monument, where exceptional circumstances apply.

Eligible projects will be as follows:

1. Projects proposed by local authorities on foot of applications from private applicants who are the owners or custodians of historic structures;
2. Projects proposed by a Local Authority for works to historic structures in public ownership, where a clear heritage focus and community or public benefit has been demonstrated;
3. Projects with a clearly defined heritage focus and community or public benefit proposed directly to the Department by a State-funded organisation working in the heritage area.

Who can apply for the Vernacular Structures Stream?

1. Owners of vernacular structures that are not listed in a Record of Protected Structures
2. Owners of vernacular structures within an Architectural Conservation Area, but not otherwise subject to statutory protection.

Eligible projects will be as follows:

1. Projects proposed by local authorities on foot of applications from private applicants who are the owners or custodians of vernacular structures.
2. Projects proposed by local authorities for works to vernacular structures in public ownership where a clear heritage focus and community or public benefit has been demonstrated Applicants may be required to provide evidence of the availability of matching funding.

Works must be completed and paid for before recoupment is sought from the Department.

Any stream can include an associated training element.

Eligible applications for Stream 1 (including Historic Shopfronts sub-stream) and the Vernacular Structures Stream will be assessed for selection under the following criteria:

1. Significance of the structure
2. Efficacy of the grant in achieving the aims of the Historic Structures Fund
3. Quality of the methodology and technical merit of the works proposed
4. Contribution of the proposed works to keeping the structure in use, or bringing it back into use

Eligible applications for Stream 2 will be assessed for selection under the following criteria:

1. Significance of the structure
2. Efficacy of the grant in achieving the aims of the Historic Structures Fund
3. Quality of the methodology and technical merit of the works proposed
4. Contribution of the proposed works to keeping the structure in use, or bringing it back into use
5. Broader public or community benefit of the project

Further information on the scheme can be found on the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage website.

Email: hsf@housing.gov.ie