Help for heritage organisations to build better businesses

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National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested just over £4million in business support and enterprise development training programmes across the UK. The programmes will help organisations that work with heritage to increase their capacity and resilience and consider new ways of working.

How you can benefit

Three of the programmes are now accepting applications to take part. The two that are relevant to organisations in our region are detailed below (the third is specific to Scotland).

Rebuilding Heritage

One-to-one and small group support delivered by the Heritage Alliance for organisations and individuals that work with heritage across the UK.

The programme will help participants build confidence, overcome immediate challenges and plan for a sustainable future, with a focus on:

• business planning
• fundraising
• marketing and communications

Opportunities are being offered on a rolling basis, with bi-monthly deadlines. Apply for the January/February group by 15 December. Find out more about Rebuilding Heritage.

Heritage Compass

A programme for small and medium sized heritage organisations in England, delivered by Cause4 in partnership with the Arts Marketing Association and Creative United.

It will work with 150 heritage organisations across the next two years to:

• promote skills development
• grow operational knowledge
• strengthen leadership
• diversify funding
• identify solutions to financial and environmental threats

Applications are open until 6 November, and again from 16 November – 16 December. Find out more about Heritage Compass.

There is more to come

Further opportunities for organisations to benefit from training will be announced soon, including two UK-wide enterprise development programmes led by Social Enterprise Academy and School for Social Entrepreneurs. The aim of these programmes it to strengthen strategic leadership and create sustainable revenue models.

Eilish McGuinness, Executive Director of Business Delivery at The Fund, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has brought with it unprecedented uncertainty and challenges. Alongside our grant funding – which is helping protect heritage and save jobs from the immediate impact of the COVID-19 crisis – it is important that we also take a longer-term approach to the resilience of the sector.

“Through supporting the development of leadership and income generation skills, we aim to ensure that organisations across the UK who work with our heritage have the knowledge and the confidence to face any future challenges that might come their way.”