The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a registered charity (No. 266780) founded in 1976 to promote the conservation of historic buildings in the United Kingdom. It provides information, advice and finance to Building Preservation Trusts and other charities in the U.K.
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Scope
In order to apply for finance, organisations must have charitable status. The building must be listed, scheduled or in a conservation area and of acknowledged historic merit and projects must involve a change either in the ownership of a property or in its use. The AHF does not provide finance to private and commercial owners and buildings in long-term ownership or use.
As at 2005, the fund had provided grants of over £3.5 million and loans of over £73 million to over 1000 eligible projects.
Legal status
The fund is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee without a share capital and registered at Companies House number 01150304.
The Challenge Fund
In June 2011 it was announced that the AHF would be administering the new £2 million Challenge Fund to rescue historic buildings at risk. The fund is to be formed by a donation of £1 million from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation over five years and an additional £1 million from English Heritage. The buildings targeted will be Grade I and Grade II* status buildings on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk register.
Example projects
Some of projects the AHF has helped finance include:
List of all case studies: