Edinburgh Visitor Levy Small Scale Accessible and Sustainable Capital Fund (Culture, Heritage and Events)

Edinburgh Visitor Levy Small Scale Accessible and Sustainable Capital Fund (Culture, Heritage and Events)

Guidance Notes for Applicants

1. About this Guidance

This document explains the Edinburgh Visitor Levy Small Scale Accessible and Sustainable Capital Fund ("the Fund"), who can apply, what it will and will not pay for, how applications are assessed, and what happens after an award is made. It should be read alongside the separate Application Form.

The Fund is open to cultural and heritage organisations across the city, from small volunteer-run venues to larger institutions. The guidance is designed to be equally usable by both: smaller applicants are not expected to produce the same depth of technical evidence as larger, well-resourced organisations, but all applicants must address every section relevant to their project.

The Fund provides capital grants to cultural and heritage buildings for physical and operational interventions that improve accessibility and/or materially reduce carbon emissions, supporting long-term resilience and Net Zero pathways.

It is intended to encourage adaptations, retrofits, fabric and systems upgrades, inclusive access interventions, and the adoption of low-carbon technologies and operational changes.

Applicants must align their project with at least one of the following objectives:

• Improve physical and/or digital accessibility so venues become inclusive for a wider range of users.
• Reduce operational carbon emissions and energy demand with a clear plan toward Net Zero.
• Future-proof heritage and cultural buildings for climate change through fabric, systems or technological upgrades that are consistent with conservation best practice.
• Demonstrate long-term operational sustainability, including cost savings and maintenance planning.

4.1 Eligibility — applicants must meet all of the following

• The building or venue is a cultural or heritage organisation, or a historic building used for cultural purposes (theatres, museums, galleries, community heritage buildings, historic houses with public access) that is open to visitors (paid or free).
• The applicant is the building owner, a leaseholder with landlord consent and any required planning or listed building consents, or a formal managing organisation with authority to undertake the works.
• The works take place on an existing building (retrofit or upgrade), are located within the funding territory, and will be completed by March 2029.
• The project demonstrates clear benefits to accessibility, climate resilience and/or carbon emission reduction.
• The project meets a minimum cost of £10,000 and a maximum grant request of £500,000 (see Section 6).
• For requests over £50,000, the applicant can demonstrate at least 20% match funding which can include 10% in-kind contribution.
• The applicant organisation is in good standing, with no outstanding major statutory breaches (e.g. building safety) or unresolved planning enforcement action.

4.2 Ineligible applicants and activities

• New build projects, except limited ancillary structures directly enabling access or sustainability.
• Routine maintenance without a demonstrable carbon or accessibility improvement.
• Projects previously funded by this scheme for the same works.
• Activities primarily for commercial or private residential conversion.
• Retrospective capital costs already incurred before the funding decision.

5.1 Eligible costs

• Capital works: ramps, lifts, accessible WCs, door automation, hearing loops, tactile improvements, signage, accessible seating, circulation upgrades.
• Adapting buildings: fabric and systems upgrades such as insulation, draught-proofing, glazing improvements and water ingress works (where appropriate for heritage buildings), low-carbon heating/cooling replacement, LED lighting upgrades and controls, PV installation and battery storage.
• Conservation-sensitive retrofit measures consistent with heritage guidance.
• Accessibility technology: live captioning equipment, accessible booking systems, wayfinding apps, hearing and visual assistive technology.
• Professional fees directly related to delivery: design, conservation architect, access audit, energy assessment, principal contractor.
• Project management and monitoring costs (capped).

5.2 Ineligible costs

• General operations, routine repairs, artworks, programming costs, and major landscaping not related to access or sustainability.

6. Funding Available

Grant requests must be between £10,000 and £500,000. The Fund aims to offer a balanced portfolio of awards across different sizes of project. The table below is indicative and applications do not need to match these exact amounts.

Match funding: for requests over £10,000, applicants must demonstrate at least 20% match funding or an in-kind contribution of equivalent value.

How to Apply

There are two application routes, depending on the size of the grant requested.

• Complete the application before the noted deadline.
• The decision panel meets and awards.
• All awards are subject to Committee approval.
• Contracting and grant offer issued

7.1 Bids of £150,000 and under

Open submission via a single-stage application, to the published deadline.

7.2 Bids over £150,000

• Stage 1 — Expression of Interest (EOI): a short form, open for 4 weeks, followed by rapid eligibility screening (2 weeks).
• Stage 2 — Full application: successful applicants are invited to submit a full application package (6 weeks).
• Assessment and a site visit are required for projects in the £500,000 tier (4 weeks).
• The decision panel meets and awards are announced (8 weeks). All awards are subject to Committee approval.
• Contracting and grant offer issued (2–4 weeks).

Applicants seeking between £50,000 and £150,000 should contact the Fund team for guidance on the most appropriate route for their project.

7.3 Delivery and monitoring

• Delivery period: typically 6–18 months, depending on the project.
• Final claim and monitoring: due within 4 weeks of completion, with a final report and supporting evidence.

Your application should include:

• A project summary and primary objectives (accessibility and/or carbon reduction/adaptation).
• Evidence of building control or owner consent, and any tenancy or lease permissions.
• A detailed budget and funding plan showing the grant request, match funding sources, and contingency.
• Scope of works and a timetable (Gantt chart or milestones).
• An accessibility statement and access audit, or proposed access improvements.
• An energy baseline and estimated carbon savings or modelling — for example an Energy Performance Certificate, energy audit, SAP/DEC assessment, or a simple baseline plus projected reductions — with an explanation of your methodology.
• A heritage impact statement where relevant, describing your conservation approach.
• Quotations or cost estimates from contractors or designers.
• Details of project governance and capacity, including your organisation's risk management approach.
• An outcomes and evaluation plan, including the KPIs you will measure and how.
• Letters of support (e.g. from the local authority, user groups, or access advocates) — optional but recommended.

Smaller organisations: if you do not hold formal technical evidence such as an EPC or professional access audit, contact the Fund team before applying — proportionate alternatives may be acceptable for smaller grant requests.

Applications are scored out of 100 against the following criteria:

9.1 Scoring thresholds and decision-making

• Minimum pass mark: 60 out of 100 to be considered for funding.
• Priority banding: 80+ high priority; 70–79 medium priority; 60–69 reserve list.
• Final decisions also take account of geographic spread and overall fund balance.

9.2 Governance

• Applications are assessed by a panel including sector specialists (heritage, accessibility, adaptation), the Fund manager, and a community representative.
• A conflict-of-interest policy applies to all assessors.
• The panel may request clarifications, offer partial funding, or set conditions of award (e.g. heritage consent, planning permission).

9.3 Sample scoring matrix

The accessibility and climate resilience elements above combine to form the 50-point Accessibility and/or Sustainability Impact criterion; a project may score across both where it addresses both objectives.

10. Grant Terms, Payment and Monitoring

• Payment: staged payments tied to milestones — typically 60% on contract, 35% on completion of works, and 5% on final evidence — or upfront payment with appropriate security.
• Retention: a final 5% is held until the final report and evidence of outcomes has been received.
• Monitoring: a mandatory progress report at the midpoint of delivery, and a final report with before/after evidence — for example, the increase in users with a disability, and project energy usage and associated CO2e reductions monitored for 12 months post-completion where feasible.
• Public acknowledgement: recipients agree to acknowledge the Edinburgh Visitor Levy fund and to share case studies and data.
• Clawback: funds may be reclaimed if works are not delivered as agreed or funds are misused.

• Accessibility: number of accessible elements provided, increase in accessible capacity, number of disabled users engaged or served (baseline and projected).
• Carbon: estimated annual CO2e savings, percentage reduction from baseline, change in energy use intensity.
• Financial: estimated annual energy cost savings.
• Heritage: evidence of non-detrimental impact and documentation of the conservation approach taken.

• Pre-application guidance notes (this document).
• A Teams webinar and published FAQ.
• A dedicated email address for queries: culturaldevelopment@edinburgh.gov.uk

• Eligibility, criteria, scoring and the application timeline are published on the Visitor Levy Fund website -insert-
• Feedback is provided to unsuccessful applicants, including options for improvement and reapplication.