Heritage Horizon Awards Evaluation

In 2019 the National Lottery Heritage Fund (the Heritage Fund) announced the creation of Heritage Horizon Awards (HHA) to provide major investment for ambitious projects that will transform the UK's heritage. The concept behind the Heritage Horizon Awards is "backing big ideas, unlocking possibilities" and applications were encouraged from projects that embodied the requirement to be transformative, innovative, and collaborative. Applicants were invited to trial new ways of working and reimagine their heritage work. In 2021, funding has been awarded to five projects from across the breadth of the UK to support the development of their proposals. Following the development phase, the projects will submit an application for funding for a delivery phase.

Each of the five projects is unique and the project teams have interpreted the programme concept - the requirement to be transformative, innovative, and collaborative - in ways that are appropriate to their circumstances and to the needs of their communities and stakeholders. This formative evaluation will examine the role of the HHA programme in context of the changed environment following the Covid-19 pandemic, and with greater specificity to the selected projects.

The research will involve an in-depth review of the HHA programme aims, offering an opportunity to explore and gain a deeper understanding of 'transformation', 'innovation' and 'collaboration' in practice. This research will review and monitor the projects throughout the development phase, tracking progress and drawing our recommendations that will inform the delivery and evaluation of the HHA programme as a whole and inform the Heritage Fund's long-term approach to large-scale investment.

This research will require a highly collaborative approach. The appointed consultant will need to work closely with Heritage Fund staff and with key contacts within the five funded projects (including ROSS consultants, evaluation consultants for each project, and partners where applicable) to design approaches to monitoring and evaluation that can support the projects through their development phase and to understand the Heritage Horizon Awards programme in context with the wider work of the Heritage Fund.

Communication throughout the research process to ensure the effective dissemination of research findings - to feedback learning internally and to ensure monitoring informs external communications - will be an essential component of this contract.

Your tender proposals must be sent electronically via e-mail before the tender return deadline of Midday 7th January 2022 to the following contact:

Diane La Rosa at Bii.Admin@heritagefund.org.uk