Funding: AIM Biffa Award – The National Heritage Landmarks Partnership Scheme

July 1, 2014

The Association of Independent Museums (AIM) is pleased to announce the opening of the Year 3 Applications from 26 June 2014.

AIM entered into a three year funding partnership with Biffa Award which will provide a £1.5m investment into independent museums and industrial heritage sites across the UK.

About the Scheme

The National Heritage Landmarks Partnership Scheme will develop a high profile national project by creating a network of facilities whose history has been in some way involved in far reaching change instrumental in creating the nation as it is today. This investment will help transform derelict buildings and sites into inspirational resources, enabling the public to better understand the powerful tide of change brought about by our collective industrial past through the creation of a network of strategic projects that tell the stories of people, processes, industrial development and change.

The Scheme will focus on specific projects that relate to key industries including mining, textile manufacture, shipbuilding, metal processing, chemical industries, defence, farming and technologies such as power generation and communication.

To view past supported projects, please click here.

What will the Scheme fund?

We welcome applications from independent museums and industrial sites to become part of this exciting new initiative.

Partnership Projects

Museums and industrial sites will be invited to submit bids for the third funding round, the closing date will be Friday August 29 2014. Up to 5 projects will be selected for partnership funding in each annual round.

The maximum value of support for each project will be £120,000. We would normally expect National Heritage Landmarks Partnership Funding to form the major part of the funded project.

Applicants will need to have secured or can commit to providing a 10% cash contribution (known as a Third party Contribution or TPC) within 3 months of commencement. If you are not registered as an Environmental Body, this sum can be made up from funds from your own resources and/or other sources of funding. If you are registered as an Environmental Body your 10% cash contribution (TCP) must be from an independent source of funding to meet with Landfill Tax Regulations it cannot come from your organisation’s own funds or general reserves.

The sum must be paid directly to Biffa Waste Services prior to a Formal Offer Agreement being issued. If applicants are using other sources of funding they should check that the funding body is aware of these arrangements. Funds from lottery distributors including HLF, cannot be used as partnership funding.

Project Criteria

Eligible works include opening up access to buildings or sites, creating new exhibitions or displays, gallery development, educational facilities, site interpretation and trails.

Applicants will need to be able to demonstrate significant impact and heritage benefit and how their project will help deliver the 5 key project outcomes for the Scheme.

They are:

Create a national network of Landmark projects created on sites that have international, national or regional impact.

  • Enable a better understanding and appreciation of how industrial heritage collections and buildings were used and what they did by improved physical and intellectual access to sites and buildings.
  • Provide an enhanced level of educational activity on partner sites.
  • Develop stronger links with local communities through engaging new volunteers and wider audiences from the locality.
  • Develop partnership working with other National Heritage Landmark projects or other industrial sites.

Applicants will also need to provide evidence that they:

  • Are an internationally, nationally or regionally important site or building that evidences technological innovation.
  • Have the capacity to work collaboratively with other sites in the National Heritage Landmarks Project.
  • Are within 25 miles of an active Biffa operation and within 10 miles of any landfill site.
  • Will obtain any necessary consents required for funded works, including full planning permission and Scheduled Ancient Monument consent where applicable.
  • Can provide evidence that they are owners of the buildings/collections involved and have adequate insurance. We can consider support for projects where minimum of 25 years tenure for the land or buildings has been agreed. In these cases it may be necessary for the landlord to be contracted in as a party to the agreement.
  • Have an Environmental Statement and an access policy in place and have undertaken consultation with the local community on the proposal.
  • Have the ability to complete the project within 12 months of allocation of an award.
  • Are an independently constituted organisation with charitable status. privately owned sites are not eligible.
  • Applicants will need to members of AIM at the point of application.

Closing Date

The closing date for round three (2014/2015) is the Friday 29 August 2014. Successful projects will be notified by mid-October 2014.

Further Information

For further information contact Sam Hunt, by emailing henleymanor@btinternet.com or calling 01460 75222 or 07833 366 624.

Application forms and guidance notes can be downloaded here (at the bottom of the page) or are available from Justeen Stone, AIM’s Administrator at aimadmin@aim-museums.co.uk or by calling 01584 878 151.

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