English Heritage is set to receive a financial boost after a government investment of £80m to help establish a charity to care for the National Heritage Collection on a self-financing basis.

English Heritage will receive the one-off lump sum to support its plan to transfer management of the collection to a charity, licensed by English Heritage's governing body.

Sites such as Stone Henge, Dover Castle and Kenwood are included in the 420 sites that make up the National Heritage Collection (NHC), which will remain in public ownership. The new charity will have more freedom to generate greater commercial and charitable income to safeguard the collection.

The new charity is aiming to be set up by 2015 and will be completely self-financing, no longer needing tax-payer support.

"This is an excellent outcome to an extremely challenging spending review," said a statement by English Heritage. "This year we have been celebrating 100 years of state protection for heritage and this announcement sets the scene for the next century.

"The investment and the creation of the new charity will help us preserve the National Heritage Collection for the future.