INFORMATION for Applicants
SEEKING Grants
1. INITIAL PROPOSAL
An applicant for a grant from the RHT should first contact the Trust to check whether their proposal is eligible for support. If an applicant is unsure whether their project is eligible for support from the RHT, they can first email rht@railwayheritagetrust.co.uk or a known contact within the Trust. An initial online meeting or site visit may be necessary to discuss and review a proposal.
Once an applicant is satisfied that a project is eligible for support by the Trust, there are three stages in the grant award process. First, the Trust will assess the proposal and decide whether or not to Support In Principle. It will then inform the applicant of its decision. This is not a formal offer of financial support. A business plan, description of works planned, cost estimates, photographs and preliminary drawings are all useful to allow the RHT to assess the viability of a proposal. Stakeholder support for proposals are also important and these could include national heritage bodies (Cadw – Welsh Historic Monuments, Historic England or Historic Environment Scotland), relevant local authorities, amenity societies or Community Rail Partnerships.
We recommend that any organisation interested in applying for a grant should have made contact with the owner or manager of the relevant asset. This might be Network Rail, The Arch Company, National Highways (Historical Railways Estate) or a Train Operating Company.
2. Grant Award Procedure
The second and third parts of the process are the Offer and Award sections.
If the Trust decides to support a proposal in principle, the applicant should then work up their proposal with more detailed costs and an understanding of any consents required. After evaluation and approval, which may require a visit to the location if one has not already been made, the Trust will make a formal Offer of a grant to the applicant. If the applicant accepts the offer, the Trust then sends the applicant an application form to fill out.
The Trust reviews the application and issues a formal Grant Award Letter which sets out any conditions of the grant (eg obtaining listed building consent or including a specific piece of restoration work), and the basis on which the grant may be claimed. Approved drawings, specifications and cost estimates should accompany the application if not already provided.
The size of the grant is individually assessed for each project and generally ranges from 10% to 40% of grant-eligible project costs. The Trust keeps its evaluation process as short as possible.
Until the Trust has issued a letter formally awarding a grant it is not financially committed to supporting a project. Such letters are only issued after an application has been submitted, reviewed and approved.
3. Partnerships
The forming of funding partnerships is an important qualification for Trust grants, second only to the nature of the projects themselves. Details of contributions to the project by other parties (including in-kind support) are therefore an essential part of grant applications. The lead partner or fund-holder, an agent, project manager or consultant on behalf of the lead partner or fund-holder, or the owner of the historic railway building or structure can apply for partnership grants. If awarded, the Trust can pay its grant to the applicant, or to another body as agreed by the partners.
4. Claiming Grants
The Grant Award Letter authorises the recipient to claim the grant from the Trust on agreed completion of the work. The recipient is responsible for claiming the grant in accordance with the conditions set out in the award letter, within the Trust’s financial year, which runs from April to March. Recipients may claim the grant upon completion, or at stages during the work, as may be agreed for a particular project. Grants may be payable in more than one financial year. The Trust will usually inspect the works in progress or upon completion to satisfy itself that the works have been carried out to its standards before making payment of the grant. Photographs of completed works will always be required to sign off grant completion.
5. annual reporting
Each year, the Trust publishes a list of all the grants it has issued, including the amount awarded. It also publishes its annual accounts each year.
6. Publicity
The Trust and other funding partners usually wish to publicise their role in a project. The Trust uses the following means:
Social Media and Website
The Trust uses social media channels to publicise grant awards and completed projects. Channels used include X, Instagram, Blue Sky and LinkedIn.
The Trust may also insert a page onto its website to highlight particular projects that have been supported.
Site Signs
The Trust may request, as a condition of its grant, that a site sign, provided by the Trust, is displayed on the project board. The Trust’s standard sign is uniform in size with consultants’ and contractors’ normal site signs.
Commemorative Plaques
The Trust provides commemorative plaques at selected locations, to mark completion of heritage projects. These are generally projects that have made a significant contribution to heritage restoration. Details of site signs and plaques are available on the Trust’s Information Sheets on this website.
Awards
The Trust encourages recipients of grants to enter completed projects into competitions, such as the National Railway Heritage Awards, of which the Trust is a co-sponsor, the Community Rail Awards and local Civic Trust Awards. The rail industry has a number of awards ceremonies for which it may be appropriate to enter projects.