Last month, we asked not-for-profit members of the Heritage Network what they felt their biggest challenges were for 2026/27. We ask our members this each year so we can advocate on their behalf to governments and funders, and so that we can plan activities to meet the needs of the organisations we support.
This year, 80 members completed the survey. We’ve shared the results and initial analysis compared to last year in this article.
Thank you to all members who took the time to complete this survey.
Biggest Challenges survey results 2025
Which of the following describes your organisation right now (select more than one if applicable)
| Planning and fundraising for a restoration project | 32 |
| Managing a completed site or sites | 21 |
| A multi-project trust with projects at more than one of the above stages | 20 |
| Restoration project underway | 14 |
| A learning/engagement organisation | 12 |
| Looking for a potential new project | 10 |
| Working on a site owned by another organisation (e.g. a friends group) | 8 |
| At an early stage, establishing an organisation and thinking about a restoration project | 7 |
| A non-heritage organisation working from a historic site | 5 |
| A campaigning/advocacy organisation | 0 |
Ticked ‘other’ and wrote in:
| an established BPT trying to remain relevant |
| Project paused as building sold – waiting on finding out new owner’s plans |
| Providing funding and advice to 3rd parties |
| Heritage site |
| Viewing and commenting on Planning Applications! |
| Architectural practice, but also involved in our own project to redevelop a listed building to form our studio and a community asset |
| We’re a specialist consultancy firm supporting clients in the culture and heritage sector |
| Council |
| Just to clarify the last ticked box – we are in the process of taking the building over. A community asset transfer from HCT |
| Navigating local government structure change (LA are core funders and landlords although we are an independent charitable trust museum); navigating planning for a new heritage centre |
Which 3 of the following do you think will be your biggest challenges in the year ahead? (Choose a maximum of 3)
| Fundraising for the main work on a restoration project | 33 |
| Fundraising for the core costs of our organisation (e.g. staff) | 23 |
| Rising costs (every day running costs) | 23 |
| Acquiring ownership of a building | 20 |
| Fundraising for emergency or remedial works | 15 |
| Fundraising for project viability assessment and initial fees | 15 |
| Improving our income from trading activities, rentals and contracts | 14 |
| Difficulties with partnership working (e.g. with local authority or landowner) | 13 |
| Engaging the community/explaining our projects and plans | 13 |
| Involving young(er) people in our organisation or projects | 13 |
| Engaging with new/different parts of the community | 12 |
| Rising costs (restoration project costs) | 12 |
| Making our premises/activities more environmentally sustainable | 11 |
| Promoting our organisation or site/raising our profile | 11 |
| Recruiting new trustees/board members | 11 |
| Finding a new/next project for our organisation to work on | 8 |
| Making our premises/activities/communications more accessible | 8 |
| Recruiting a wider range of volunteers | 8 |
| Recruiting a wider range of trustees/board members | 7 |
| Rising costs (taxation – including employers NI, business rates, etc) | 6 |
| Recruiting new volunteers | 4 |
| Recruiting staff | 4 |
| Attracting visitors to our site | 2 |
| Finding tenants for our business premises | 2 |
| Getting our organisation established (e.g. legal set-up, first trustees etc.) | 0 |
Changes
Although the main preoccupations of our members remain broadly the same with income and fundraising a high priority, those concerns have actually reduced as a percentage of responses. Responses that increased the most over last year were:
| Acquiring ownership of a building | +11% |
| Finding a new/next project for our organisation to work on | +9% |
| Involving young(er) people in our organisation or projects | +7% |
| Making our premises/activities more environmentally sustainable | +6% |
| Engaging with new/different parts of the community | +5% |
How confident do you feel about your organisation surviving and succeeding in its aims in 2026?
| Very confident | 23 | 29% |
| Quite confident | 44 | 55% |
| Not very confident | 10 | 13% |
| Not at all confident | 3 | 4% |
Confidence score: 70%
On the 5th January 2026, the next Impact Survey launches for our members. The results from that survey are compiled to form the annual Impact Report. We share the report with funders, local authorities, and other key partner organisations in the heritage sector to raise the profile of community heritage and demonstrate the impact that Heritage Network members have within their communities and wider heritage sector.
