Last updated 16th August 2024

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. Ecclesiastical have also produced this handy guide for churches looking to fund building projects.
• 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 Carbon Net Zero

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

•  'Net Carbon Zero Quick Wins Grant'.this grant provides up to £5,000 to help churches or church halls become more energy-efficient; hence less carbon emitting.
  To qualify, a church must have completed the Energy Footprint Tool with their 2023 data;  have registered with Eco Church - An A Rocha UK Project and it also should be working towards bronze, silver or gold award. For more information please email jamie.skuse@blackburn.anglican.org for an application pack. Applications received by September 30 this year will be assessed first with future submission deadlines in December 2024 and then in March and June 2025. For larger projects, parishes could combine a grant with an interest free loan from the DBF. See this page on the Diocesan website for more details.
• North West England Community Energy Fund - funding for feasibility to consider options and design schemes, including professional fees, for Net Zero projects that benefit the community. More details here.
• 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 and a list of funders for eco-friendly works here.
• Community Energy England has a long list of grants here. Not all are available or relevent to churches.
• The Diocese now offers an interest free Eco-loan for capital works that bring a church building closer to Net Zero here.
• The Government are offering a grant of between £2,000 and £150,000, for works to improve energy efficiency, such as heating, lighting and insulation, in buildings run by charities who offer frontline services to the community. Although buildings used only as a place of worship are ineligible, many churches and church halls are used for offering such services and could be eligible. More details here.

The Government has recently removed the need to pay VAT on energy saving measures for charitable buildings such as unlisted churches and church halls. The scheme currently lasts until 2027. More details including a full list of works covered under the scheme can be found here. Listed churches can claim back the VAT on these works through the Listed Places of Worship VAT Scheme - see below.

Parish Grants Scheme: The Disability Project

The Parish Grants Scheme within the Disability Project 2024 aims to help parishes to enhance accessibility and inclusion for those who are Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent. 

While this scheme is initially for parishes in the Northern Diocese, this may be expanded in later years.

Parishes will be able to apply for funding for small projects with a grant of up to £5000, or larger works with a grant value of up to £50,000. 

Small projects might include ideas such as implementing a new supportive group for disabled people, improving signage and imagery with inclusivity in mind, enabling dementia-friendly church, or perhaps training for staff, volunteers and congregations. 

Larger projects could include structural alterations to buildings, installing technology such as a hearing-aid loop, purchasing appropriate seating, redesigning the height of surfaces/information boards, providing large-print resources and so much more. 

More information can be found here.  Application and guidance forms can be found here.

For information or support, please contact: Joy Rushton at joy.rushton@blackburn.anglican.org or Jamie Skuse at jamie.skuse@blackburn.anglican.org

Listed Places of Worship VAT reclaimation scheme

The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme gives grants covering the VAT on repairs of over £1,000 to listed buildings used as places of worship. Click here for more details and to apply.

Churches that are not listed do not qualify for this grant but could apply for VAT relief for any works which improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Click here for more details.

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 has three grants which may be of interest to churches.

• The Building Improvement Grant offers grants for repairs and improvements to church buildings.
• The Community Impact Grant offers grants to Christian organisations for projects that will make a positive and transformative impact on lives and communities. 
• The Roof Alarm Grant 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. 

The National Churches Trust

The National Churches Trust Cherish Project is offering grants and targeted support to churches in the North West to help with repairs and maintenance. See here for more information.

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.

National Lottery Grants

The National Lottery Heritage Fund offer grants from £3,000 to £5 million to listed church buildings. Applications must have a strong community focus and align with the 10 year heritage strategy which can be viewed here.

The National Lottery Community Fund has two funding streams, one for under £10,000 and one for over £10,000. They offer grants to churches for community based projects which can include refurbishing community facilities.

Loans

Sometimes a parish needs to borrow some capital to get a project over the finish line. Here are two loan schemes available to churches:

• Interest Free Diocesan Loan - contact the Church Buildings Support Officer for more details of this loan.
• Charity Bank - see here for more information about this loan. This loan is not interest-free.