New Visitor Levy fund to help futureproof Edinburgh’s cultural and heritage buildings

The Small Scale Accessible and Sustainable Capital Fund is a three-year programme reinvesting income from the Edinburgh Visitor Levy directly into sensitively upgrading Edinburgh’s cultural buildings.

Part of the Visitor Levy’s transformational £90 million investment programmes, the fund will allow owners and operators of these spaces to apply for grants of £10,000 - £500,000 to invest in projects that make them easier for people to access and help cut carbon emissions, so they can operate more sustainably in the long term.

Over the next three years it will support projects that sensitively upgrade buildings through approaches like retrofitting, upgrading structures and systems, improving access for all and introducing low carbon technologies.

This could include works such as installing new ramps and lifts, upgrading insultation and windows, and delivering new accessible technology like wayfinding apps and live captioning equipment.

Applications for the fund are now open, with a rolling application deadline:

• Round one: Closes 20 November 2026
• Round two: Closes 26 February 2027
• Round three: Closes 10 December 2027

Eligible organisations can apply via the Council’s website.

Council Leader Jane Meagher said:

Edinburgh’s cultural and heritage buildings and spaces are at the heart of what makes our city a world leading cultural destination. We want to invest in these places and protect their futures as high quality, green, creative and well-maintained visitor destinations that everyone can enjoy.

A thriving cultural sector in our capital city is one that benefits visitors and residents alike. The Visitor Levy is all about sustaining and enhancing everything that makes Edinburgh so special. By using some of its proceeds to upgrade these unique places, we can make the city a more accessible and welcoming destination for everyone. 

The fund is backed by Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy and is delivered through the Culture, Heritage and Events investment programme.

The levy’s agreed investment programmes are worth over £90 million over the next three years and have been designed to sustain and enhance Edinburgh’s reputation as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable destinations in the world.

The initial programmes fall under the themes of City Operations and Infrastructure; Culture, Heritage and Events; and Destination and Visitor Management. The Council will receive the first levy receipts by November.

Projects already operating include:

• The £2.62m Innovate Fund to provide extra support for all eligible cultural and arts organisations - including those operating at a local community level - to improve resilience, support programming innovation and enhance cultural output.
• The launch of the Edinburgh Visitor Economy Improvement Fund (EVEIF) grant funding programme to support businesses in strengthening the city’s visitor economy, helping the sector respond to changing market conditions, rising operational pressures and evolving visitor expectations by encouraging partnerships, innovation and knowledge‑sharing between organisations.
• A £132,000 contribution towards Edinburgh’s Festival Carnival and Mardi Gras events, which took place over the weekend of 18/19 July, providing an early demonstration of the Council’s intent to reinvest the levy’s funds into experiences that everyone can enjoy, whether they are visitors or residents.
• Funding ten festival city ambassadors to help visitors find their way around the capital this summer, and work alongside the Council’s partners to make sure Edinburgh remains a vibrant and inclusive place.
• Partnering with Police Scotland to create a City Centre Policing Unit, increasing public safety in the city centre and freeing up existing resource for frontline officers to be more present across other areas of the city.

A full list of the projects is available on the Visitor Levy section of the Council’s website.