Grant of up to €20,000 for historic thatched buildings
Government grants of up to €20,000 are being made available under a scheme to preserve historic thatched buildings.
The Housing, Local Government and Heritage has today (Friday, July 25) announced the opening of applications for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) 2026, which includes a dedicated funding stream for historic thatched buildings.
The department said the scheme supports owners and custodians of historic buildings to maintain and conserve the important structures which are an essential part of Ireland’s cultural landscape.
The scheme, administered through local authorities, provides grant aid of between €2,500 and €50,000 for works to buildings which are protected under the Planning and Development Acts.
The funding is also available for vernacular buildings or historic shopfronts without statutory protection.
Owners of thatched buildings can apply for dedicated funding for their heritage structures under the separate thatched buildings stream, though only one grant may be awarded per applicant.
The department noted that the applicant must provide at least 20% of the project cost from non-state funding.
The closing date for applications to local authorities is September 26, 2025. Successful projects will be announced in January 2026.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne said that each year owners of Ireland’s historic buildings help to preserve the architectural legacy of our towns and countryside.
He noted that owners of these properties are contending with the higher costs and more complex requirements of maintaining older buildings.
“The Built Heritage Investment Scheme is a vital support to those people who have taken on the responsibility of protecting the architectural evidence of our past ways of life while also introducing new vitality into our historic buildings.
"Whether through inheritance, family connection, the desire for a home, or out of a simple love for the history and character of older buildings, owners and occupiers of historically important structures make a daily contribution to the sense of tradition and character present in so many of our communities," he said.
The minister encouraged anyone interested in availing of the grants to contact the architectural conservation officer or heritage officer in their local authority "as soon as possible".
The BHIS is complemented by the Historic Structures Fund (HSF), a separate scheme focusing on grants of between €50,000 and €200,000 to assist larger-scale projects. Applications for the HSF will open towards the end of 2025.
