Last updated 2nd May 2023

Grants and Funding

Grants for churches are available from many organisations and the list on this page contains details for some of the more well known ones. The links will give you details of eligibility and the application process. Before making any applications ensure that you check the deadlines for applications and read the relevant guidelines as well as advice on the relevant pages.

Resources for Funding Help and Advice

The Parish Resources Website contains a list of grants as well as providing advice and guidance for a buildings project. These can be downloaded from www.parishresources.org.uk/resources-for-treasurers/funding/http
Ecclesiastical Insurance Fundraising Hub is a wonderful resource to help parishes with fundraising. The fundraising hub webpage contains advice on fundraising, webinars to watch and a list of funders, plus a dedicated fundraising helpline for parishes to call for advice.
The Heritage Funding Directory has a faciltity to search for funders of works to historic buildings and offers general advice on applying for funding for all historic buildings and structures, not just churches.
Local Charitable Trusts and Small Grant Funders. A list of grant providers who provide grants for charities situated within Lancashire and some small national trusts and funds

Grants and fundraising advice to help churches achieve Net Zero

See below for various grants and fundraising advice to help churches reach Net Zero

Electric Vehicle Charging Scheme for Charities - this government grant offers up to 75% of the cost of installing an electric vehicle charging point at your church. More information here.
The Church Building Council has a set of webinars on how to fundraise for environmental projects here.
Community Energy England has a long list of grants here. Not all are available or relevent to churches.

NLHF Grants for Heritage

Applications are now open for National Lottery Grants for Heritage from £3,000 to £5 million. The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic means it has revised our approach to what it will fund.

This is set out in Priorities for National Lottery Grants for Heritage for 2022-23.

The NLHF will prioritise heritage projects that willl meet outcomes set up as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic which are:

A wider range of people will be involved in heritage (This is a mandatory outcome. Every project we fund must achieve our mandatory outcome as a minimum.)
the funded organisation will be more resilient
people will have greater wellbeing
people will have developed skills
the local area will be a better place to live, work or visit
the local economy will be boosted

Grants for Roof Alarms

The Benefact Trust – Owners of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group offer grants towards the installation of a roof alarm system to protect, prevent and minimise the theft of lead on church roofs.

Churches can apply for 50% of the cost of an alarm, up to £2,500. To apply please visit the website of the Benefact Trust here.

Parish Vision Fund

Parishes can apply to the Diocese of Blackburn's Parish Vision Fund for grants to help parishes with work related to Vision 2026. You can find more information including criteria for applications and the application form here

The Church Buildings Council

The Church Buildings Council offers grants for several types of works to churches. These include:

Grants to cover the cost of conservation reports.
Grants for specialist conservation and repair work including clock, bells organs, stained glass, churchyard structures and memorials.

The Benefact Trust (formally All Churches Trust)

The Benefact Trust makes grants to churches of between £1000 and £15,000 for projects with a total cost of up to £1 million. Most grants fall into this category but larger grants are available for projects costing over £1 million. They take into account the amount raised towards a project, along with the project’s objectives and scope and the extent of deprivation in the community concerned.

The National Churches Trust

National Churches Trust Grant programme supports a wide variety of projects to help churches, people and local communities from repairing a roof to helping to install an accessible toilet. There are 3 grant programmes but to be eligible for any of them you must have the necessary permission and 50% of the required funding in place (which can include any VAT you are eligible to reclaim through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme).

Please contact grants@nationalchurchstrust.org or call 020 7227 1933 to speak to the grants team if you have any questions regarding grant programmes.

Large Grants are between £10,000 and £50,000 towards the cost of major urgent structural repair projects costed at more than £100,000 including VAT.
Medium Grants are between £3,000 and £10,000 towards project development and investigative work up to RIBA planning stage 1, to support churches preparing for a major project, and in developing their project to the point at which they can approach a major grant funder. Grants will never exceed 50% of the project costs for this phase.
Small Grants are between £500 and £3,000 towards urgent maintenance works and small repairs identified as high priority within a recent Quinquennial Inspection or Survey Report. Also, small investigative works and surveys. Project costs should not exceed £10,000

Garfield Weston Foundation

Garfield Weston Foundation provides funds towards simple but practical projects that enable religious buildings to be used for an inclusive range of charitable purposes by their local communities. Capital grants include funds towards the instillation of basic amenities such as lavatories and kitchen facilities and for restoration works to historic church buildings.

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