The Helen Hamlyn Award

The inaugural Helen Hamlyn Award will grant £25,000 to an INTO member in early 2027, in support of a project that will breathe new life into a heritage space.

This exciting new opportunity builds on our relationship with the remarkable Lady Helen Hamlyn, whose trust has been a valued supporter of INTO’s training and development programmes, including TAP INTO, the Incubator and Heritage Leaders.

A panel convened by the INTO Secretariat will select a member organisation to receive the award, who will then have 18 months to deliver the activity in close consultation with the INTO team.

Funding will support projects inspired by the experiences, knowledge and connections available through the INTO network. Eligibility requirements, assessment criteria and examples of eligible projects are outlined below.

Please register your interest in applying for the Helen Hamlyn Award by completing our short Expression of Interest. Your idea does not need to be fully formed to submit, we welcome concepts. The EOI form will close on 6 November 2026. Please read the criteria and eligibility information below carefully before completing this form.

After 6 November, INTO will invite 3-5 applicants to enter a development phase and work up a more detailed project proposal. This process will include a consultation call with members of the INTO Secretariat.

If you’d like to know more about this opportunity in the meantime, an information session including a Q&A will run on 29 September 2026 at 12.30 – 13.30 (London). Please register for this session here. If you’d like to receive the recording, please send us an email.

A successful project will:

• represent a new, innovative intervention with strong potential for visibility and influence;
• make a visible and lasting benefit to heritage in your care;
• breathe new life into a heritage space, opening doors to bring people in and use the space to its full potential;
• demonstrate inspiration drawn from your membership of INTO and the work of other organisations within the network;
• take place at a site already in your care for which any necessary permissions are in place; and
• be delivered by an INTO member organisation in good standing.

• Applications from less well-resourced members will be prioritised.
• Projects that build on ideas, approaches or expertise developed by another INTO member are particularly encouraged. Costs associated with skills transfer are eligible in this case.
• The majority of the budget should be spent on new activity and/or capital costs. Proposals with high existing staff or overhead costs are unlikely to be competitive.
• Only one application can be considered per member organisation.
• The project must be achievable within 18 months, beginning in early 2027.

Examples of eligible projects might include:

• You have acquired a historic theatre space. Although it remains in good condition, changes made under previous ownership have made it unsuitable for its original purpose. An HHT award will enable you to return the venue to use for performance and deliver an inaugural programme celebrating traditional music and theatre.

• You have a restored courtyard space with significant potential, but the original restoration project did not establish a sustainable new use. HHT funding will allow you to prepare the site to host a new community of artisans whose work is closely connected to the site’s history. The space will support their craft and an annual festival celebrating both their art form and its relationship to the place.

• The central platform of an ornamental lake once provided an important space for quiet reflection as part of the site’s original design. The structure now requires urgent repairs to make it safe for visitors. As part of the project, you will train 20 young carpenters in the traditional skills needed to undertake the work. A public engagement programme will culminate in an opening event that celebrates the restoration of the site and highlights the importance of preserving historic craft and building techniques.

These examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be exhaustive.

Review the Expression of Interest form here. Deadline 6 November 2026.