Heritage Council opens Heritage Stewardship Fund

The Heritage Stewardship Fund, which provides financial support for staff in local authorities, state agencies and educational institutions with responsibility for heritage programmes, is now open for applications.

The scheme’s primary target is staff working in public sector organisations whose core remit may not be fully focused on heritage, but whose work has an impact on heritage.

This includes local authority-based museum curators, archivists, archaeologists, and architectural conservation officers. It also includes employees of state agencies and educational institutions proposing heritage-focused projects.

Funding under the scheme covers third-party supplier costs, the purchase of specialised equipment and travel and subsistence costs for volunteers. Applicants can apply for funding between €5,000 and €30,000.

The variety of projects that secured funding last year demonstrates the positive impact the scheme has across the heritage sector. The Museum of Literature Ireland, Royal Colleague of Surgeons, Crawford Art Gallery and Sligo County Library are among those whose projects benefited from funding. A full list of funded projects is available on this link.

A full overview of eligibility criteria and other relevant details are available on this link.

The Heritage Council will host a grants information webinar at 12 noon on the 24^th of November 2023, with general application advice followed by a question and answer session. You can register for the webinar from the above page. The webinar will be recorded and available on the Heritage Council website for viewing afterwards.

The closing date for applications is Monday, 15th of January 2024 at 5pm, and applications must be made via the Heritage Council’s online grants management system