[2] The charity was launched at the Victoria & Albert Museum in March 2010,[3] with a membership programme for supporters.
[4] Its founders included Robin Wood MBE (professional wood turner and co-founder of Spoonfest with Barn the Spoon), Patricia Lovett MBE (professional scribe, calligrapher and illuminator) and current executive director Daniel Carpenter.
[6][7] In May 2017, in association with The Radcliffe Trust, the Association published the Red List of Endangered Crafts, which was repeated again in 2019, 2021 and 2023, when it was funded by The Pilgrim Trust.
[9] In 2020, the charity's patron, King Charles III (then Prince of Wales), launched The President's Award for Endangered Crafts, which was won in 2020 by Ernest Wright scissor makers,[10] in 2021 by watchmaker Dr Rebecca Struthers[11] and in 2022 by pargeter Johanna Welsh.
[12] The patron of Heritage Crafts is King Charles III, confirmed by the patronages review that followed the royal succession, in a continuation of the presidency role he had fulfilled as Prince of Wales since 2013.