Cornwall Heritage Trust

Registered charity 291607 · since 1985cornwallheritagetrust.org·Cornwall·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£12,469

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2025

From filed accounts

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Trust awarded £12,469 in its latest reported year, so a modest request fits its scale, and no grant range is stated.
The listed routes are School Transport Grants for primary schools in Cornwall (visits to its sites may also involve secondary groups) and bursaries for postgraduates at the Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter, so organisations outside these should check the annual report or its website before assuming a fit, even though the Trust describes preservation grants for buildings and artefacts.
Schools should send a concise request that clearly shows the trip's Cornish heritage aims, with a best-value transport quote, submitting up to four months before a trip and no later than one month after it.
Applications are judged on how strongly the trip links to Cornwall's heritage, and support depends on available funds, so schools should not expect support for retrospective trips, administration or teacher costs, a visit already declined, or a single class more than once in any financial year.
Bursary deadlines are not stated, so confirm them with the Trust.

Overview

Cornwall Heritage Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 291607).

Cornwall Heritage Trust exists to preserve and strengthen Cornwall's rich and distinct heritage. It protects and offers universal free access to 22 historic sites. Its grant programmes are school transport grants and bursaries for postgraduate students whose studies further understanding of Cornwall's history and heritage.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Trust makes grants to support the preservation of buildings, artefacts and other assets significant to Cornwall’s heritage. Its School Transport Grants fund school visits to heritage sites, helping primary schools develop awareness and appreciation of Cornish heritage; visits to Trust sites can also involve secondary schools. It awards bursaries to postgraduate students whose studies further understanding of Cornwall’s history and heritage, including research on any aspect of Cornwall’s heritage. The Trust describes heritage broadly, embracing human experience in Cornwall over the centuries. It also supports the Cornish language and cultural and educational events, alongside its direct work caring for historic places and delivering education activities.

Themes

Heritage preservation
School heritage visits
Postgraduate heritage research
Cornish language
Cultural events

Geographic Focus

Cornwall.

What they don't fund

Schools Transport Grants only:
- administration or teacher costs
- trips retrospectively
- applications for a visit previously declined
- a single class more than once in any financial year

How to apply

For organisations, the School Transport Grants Scheme supports school visits to heritage sites. Schools should make a concise request that clearly shows the trip’s Cornish heritage aims.

Deadlines: Applications may be submitted up to four months before a trip and must be received within one month of its date.

Who can apply:

Bursaries: Post-graduates at The Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter, producing a dissertation/thesis centred on any aspect of Cornwall’s Heritage.
Schools Transport Grants: Primary schools in Cornwall; visits to Cornwall Heritage Trust sites may be by primary or secondary groups.

What to send:

Bursaries
- An outline of the research, up to 500 words.
- Bank account name, bank or building society name and address, sort code and account number; building society roll number if applicable.
Schools Transport Grants
- A best-value transport quote.
- School bank account name, account number and sort code.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Applications are evaluated according to how strongly the trip links to Cornwall’s heritage.
Support depends on funds available and how well the application supports heritage education.
Successful schools are expected to provide an article or report, a suitable photograph and text for social media.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Cornwall

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Cornwall Heritage Trust.

Viscount Amory's Charitable TrustRollingGave £474k The Norman Family TrustFixed deadlinesGave £790k Sir John and Lady Heathcoat Amory's Charitable TrustRollingGave £74,658 St Dennis and Nanpean Community TrustMixed deadlinesGave £100k Cornwall Community FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £2.6M The Duke of Cornwall's Charitable FoundationRollingGave £285k The Portishead Nautical TrustRollingGave £67,973 East Looe Town TrustRollingGave £1,825 West Looe Town TrustRollingGave £49,467 The Pople Charitable TrustNo public processGave £229k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£159,478	£199,611	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£253,492	£265,637	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£471,218	£386,693	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£760,481	£756,257	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£1,182,658	£1,035,048	£12,469	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.

— No grants figure for that year.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.