Heritage Crafts Opens Endangered Crafts Fund With FAQs

Heritage Crafts has launched a detailed Frequently Asked Questions page for the Endangered Crafts Fund and confirmed the fund’s first application round opens today, Monday 5 January 2026. The scheme provides small grants of up to £2,500 to individuals and organisations practising crafts that appear on the Red List of Endangered Crafts, with the intention that recipients will continue their craft practice in the UK.

The guidance clarifies who can apply and what grant funds can cover. Eligible applicants must be UK-based practitioners or organisations intending to maintain craft practice in the country. Awards may be used for training, specialist tools or equipment, route-to-market development and skills transfer activities, including taking on a trainee. The FAQs are explicit about exclusions: grants cannot be used for general living costs, unrelated research projects or unrelated promotion.

Practical application details are set out in the new guidance. The fund runs two funding rounds each year; the round opening on 5 January has a deadline in May. Applicants may submit video or audio applications as alternatives to written submissions, and the page lists the required documents and image specifications needed for a complete application. The assessment process is described so applicants can see how submissions will be reviewed and what assessors will consider.

Heritage Crafts is offering a live Zoom question-and-answer session about funding opportunities on 20 January 2026. Applicants are encouraged to download the application questions in advance to prepare their materials and to consult the practical tips published on the FAQ page about building a competitive application. The guidance includes advice on what assessors look for, helping applicants prioritise project aims and show clear impact for craft survival, skills transfer and route-to-market plans.

This fund is a direct, practical opportunity for makers, small workshops and local organisations to secure modest but targeted investment in endangered craft skills. Download the FAQs and application questions in good time, prepare any images or supporting documents to the specifications, and consider the 20 January Zoom session for clarifications. Full details and the FAQs are available at heritagecrafts.org.uk/endangered-crafts-fund-faq.