Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 June 2026
Letter from Baroness Twycross, Minister for Museums, Heritage and Gambling relating to he launch of the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund (PWRF), 20 May 2026
From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Inquiry: Protecting built heritage
Summary
Baroness Twycross announces the launch of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund (PWRF), opening for applications on 20 May 2026. The fund supports urgent capital repairs, access improvements and community facilities at listed churches, mosques and synagogues, prioritising projects in deprived areas using Indices of Multiple Deprivation data at LSOA level. Two complementary schemes—the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund (£60m) and Heritage Revival Fund (£42m)—also launched today.
Key findings
- PWRF provides capital funding for essential structural repairs, physical access improvements and facilities expansion at listed places of worship, with priority for areas of highest deprivation (IMD 1-3) and community need.
- Prioritisation framework incorporates Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) levels 1-3 and Community Needs Index (CNI), with granular assessment at LSOA level to target funding effectively.
- Application process designed with volunteer capacity in mind: short expression of interest stage before full application to test project viability.
- Heritage at Risk Capital Fund (£60m over four years) offers grants up to £1m for conservation and repair of listed buildings and historic structures in conservation areas and registered parks.
- Heritage Revival Fund (£42m over four years) administered by Architectural Heritage Fund to support repair and regeneration of derelict or underused historic buildings, enabling community ownership and active use.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Baroness Twycross, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Rupa Huq, Historic England, Architectural Heritage Fund, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Notable line
“… priority will be given to projects in areas of England with the highest level of deprivation and need for investment.”
Key Quotes
“This new fund will support essential capital works that keep buildings safe, open and in public use.”
“This fund is specifically designed to support listed places of worship for churches, mosques and synagogues, where there is the greatest need for financial support.”
“I can confirm we will be looking at LSOA level to ensure funding gets to where it is needed most.”
“Applicants will initially be asked to complete a short expression of interest to test their project's viability before proceeding to a full application.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗