The Heritage Lottery Fund is making changes this year in preparation for its new Strategic Funding Framework, due to come in in 2019. The HLF have designated 2018 as a 'transition year', with several changes: 
• There will be no new rounds of targeted programmes (i.e. Landscape Partnerships, Parks for People or Townscape Heritage) in 2018
• They will still be funding landscapes, parks and historic town centres in 2018, accepting grant applications via open programmes, including Our Heritage and Heritage Grants
• They will fund Heritage Grants over £5m (major grants) in 2018, with decisions planned in April 2018 as usual (based on applications already submitted)
• They will not fund new ‘major grants’ (Heritage Grants over £5m) in 2019, so there will be no application deadline in 2018
• During the final quarter of the financial year - January to March 2019 - they will only be making Round Two awards; and Round One grants of up to £100,000
HLF plan to spend around £190 million in 2018, and have decided to allocate a larger proportion of their budget to small grants - they envisage that around 80% of their grants this year will be smaller grants.
HLF are also planning to consult on how they should use National Lottery Good Causes income for the period from 2019 to 2024 and what its priorities should be across the UK - the consultation will be hosted on their website and should be open this month.
For more information on the upcoming changes, and to access the consultation when open, visit the HLF website: www.hlf.org.uk/about-us/our-strategy/changes-our-grant-making