Pilot World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund 2026

The pilot World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund is continuing to be trialled in 2026 to provide investment in World Heritage in Ireland.

Funding is being made available to local authorities, NGOs and private owners for the conservation, protection and enhancement of World Heritage in Ireland. Total funding available nationally under the pilot in 2026 will be €350,000. This pilot scheme aims to assist owners and custodians in a UNESCO World Heritage Property or in Tentative List Site to enhance, protect and conserve attributes (and potential attributes) of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). OUV means the natural or cultural significance of a site that is so exceptional that it deserves to be recognized as part of the humanity’s common heritage.

Funding may be provided for the following types of structures:

• Monuments: architectural or archaeological nature, which contribute to or are attributes of OUV from the point of view of history, art or science;
• Buildings: separate or connected buildings, which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, contribute to or are attributes of OUV from the point of view of history, art or science;
• Sites: works of humankind or the combined works of nature and humankind, including archaeological sites/designed landscapes, which contribute to or are attributes of OUV from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.

Funding is being made available to:

• Improve understanding, interpretation and presentation of structures (including virtual and online interpretation and presentation);
• Improve accessibility to structures;
• Enable conservation works to structures in need of urgent support, including building resilience to withstand the effects of climate change; and,
• Enhance the protection of structures.

The World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund has two Streams:

Stream A

Stream A will provide funding up to €30,000 to improve understanding, interpretation, presentation of sites including access infrastructure (including virtually/online).

Stream B

Stream B will provide funding up to €100,000 for the protection and conservation of structures including essential repairs, conservation advice, the preparation of a Conservation Management Plan and detailed specifications of works.

Local Authorities may submit up to three applications per World Heritage Property or Tentative List Site.

To be eligible to apply, structures must be:

• included in the Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) under the National Monuments Act 1930 (as amended); or
• identified in the Sites and Monuments Record ; or
• included in the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) of each Local Authority; or
• eligible for or proposed for inclusion in the RPS but not yet formally approved for inclusion; or,
• within Architectural Conservation Areas

In addition, eligible structures will have to meet one or more of the following qualifying conditions:

1. they are included within the proposed boundaries of a site on the Tentative List as potential attributes of OUV;
2. they are included within the boundaries of an Irish World Heritage Property as attributes of Outstanding Universal Value; or,
3. they are included in a Buffer Zone around a WHP or a proposed Buffer Zone of a TLS that are considered as protecting or contributing to the OUV.

Note this scheme excludes sites in the ownership/guardianship of the Minister or sites in the ownership/guardianship of the OPW (unless prior agreement/approval is in place).

For further information, please see the following

1. World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund Handbook
2. Application Form
3. Recoupment Form
4. Conflict of Interest Form