Up to 15 grants of between £10,000 and £15,000 are available to community organisations, Community Interest Companies and local authorities in selected parts of England for projects that enable underrepresented young people aged 13-25 in England to research, discover and mark local history.
The Fund aims to give underrepresented young people a sense of belonging by exploring local identity and immersing them in local stories. Each funded project should create a place marker to celebrate where these stories took place and share them with the whole community.
The aims of the programme are:
- Young people will feel an increase in wellbeing; with increased skills, confidence, pride in place and a sense of belonging.
- Young people will feel more connected to their historic environment and the history of their local area, and
- Local stories that have been overlooked will be recognised, revealed and celebrated for the benefit of local communities.
The programme is particularly aimed at engaging young people from the priority audiences targeted in Historic England’s Inclusion Strategy. These are:
- Young people who are disadvantaged by their social and/or economic background or circumstances, or by where they live.
- Young people from the global majority e.g. young people who are Black, Asian, dual-heritage, and/or from a minoritised ethnic group.
- Young people who identify as LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, +).
- Disabled young people, and
- Neuro-divergent young people.
Historic England is looking to provide up to 15 grants of between £10,000 and £15,000. Please note that applying for a smaller amount won’t increase your chances of success. The overall strength of the project is seen as the key factor. Larger grants will likely require new research or the creation brand-new partnerships. Smaller grants may have an existing project or piece of work that acts as the basis for the project (for example, you may already have a group that’s achieved something similar and want to create follow-on activity).
Some examples of previously funded History in the Making projects are available on Historic England’s website (scroll down the page).
Successful applicants will work directly with young people out-of-school hours in areas of high social deprivation. This is defined by the funder as anyone in a Levelling Up Level 1 area. Although the new government hasn’t adopted the term ‘levelling up’, Historic England is continuing to focus on the areas identified as “most in need of levelling up” in the March 2021 Budget. The areas are determined by an index ranking local authorities by on a scale of 1 to 3, with those ranked 1 considered most in need. A list of eligible areas is provided on page 9 of the Guidance Notes for the programme. It includes Mendip.
Projects must be co-created, with young people’s voices at the heart of decision-making. Please note that applications from Bradford are not eligible as Historic England is partnering with Bradford 2025 on a special project for History in the Making.
Historic England has scheduled two online Support Sessions where it will be providing an overview of the programme, running through the application process and fielding questions about projects. The Support Sessions have been arranged for:
Support Session 1: Thursday 1 August 2024, 4pm-5pm. Book at this link to Eventbrite.
Support Session 2: Monday 19 August 2024, 4pm-5pm. Book at this link to Eventbrite.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply is available on Historic England’s website.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Monday 2 September 2024.