Funding for Church Projects

National List of Charitable Grants for Churches – www.parishresources.org.uk/resources-for-treasurers/funding/

Places of Worship Funding Index – https://historicengland.org.uk/content/docs/grants/places-of-worship-funding-index/

Historic England has recently published the ‘Places of Worship Funding Index, A resource to support places of worship in England to identify potential funders for building-focused projects’.

The Church Buildings Council produce a comprehensive directory of external funders who will give funding for churches which can be found at the link above. It is updated every few months. Grants available are grouped into sections according to activity or funder as follows:

• Conservation, Preservation, Heritage & Restoration
• Bells, Organs, Windows & Other Specific Funding
• Community Projects / Improved Facilities
• Environmental & Sustainability Projects
• Christian / Religious Activities
• Landfill Communities Fund
• Lottery Funding Available. The National Lottery Heritage Fund regularly run webinars to support people in applying for lottery funding. You can find the details here.
• Sources of Information

Benefact Trust – https://benefacttrust.co.uk/which-grant-is-for-me/

Formerly All Churches Trust, funding is now available under the following grants programmes:

1. Community Impact Grants – A programme of funding aimed at supporting projects that directly address the social challenges faced by some of the most vulnerable communities in our society.
2. Building Improvement Grants – For the essential repair and improvement of churches and Christian buildings.
3. Heritage Skills for Christian Buildings Grants – Focused on the preservation of essential heritage skills and careers through apprenticeships, scholarships, and training courses.
4. Methodist Grants – For building projects that support Methodist churches in their mission and ministry, with a particular focus on church growth, community engagement and accessibility.
5. Crisis Response Grants – Grants to charity partners who are responding to specific emergency situations at home and abroad (Grants are not open to applications).
6. Roof Alarm Grants – To protect churches from metal theft.

Garfield Weston Foundation – https://garfieldweston.org/what-we-fund/

It funds small local organisations and large national institutions. Grants range from £1,000 to several million pounds, depending on each charity’s size and scope of work. Grants can be for organisational running costs, for a specific activity or for capital projects.

Follow the link to see full details of the funding criteria. Normally, their capital grants are no more than 10% of a total project cost. However, for local community projects (e.g. village halls, community centres, places of worship, etc.), grants are unlikely to be over £30,000 regardless of the project size. They expect to see local fundraising activity as they believe that shows how much your local community values your organisation.

National Churches Trust – https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/get-support/grants

The National Churches Trust (NCT) offers three types of grant. These are:

Small Grants – The Small grants have now been merged into the Medium Grants programme, and you can apply for these awards via that stream. These grants can fund urgent maintenance works and small repairs identified as high priority within a recent Quinquennial Inspection, Building Survey or Condition Report. Also, small investigative works and surveys. Awards will never exceed 50% of the costs.

Next deadline for applications: Tuesday 15th December 2026

Medium Grants – This programme offers grants of up to £10,000 towards urgent and essential maintenance and repair projects costing up to £80,000 (including VAT and fees). Also 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 net project costs (for this phase).

The next deadline for applications is Tuesday 15th December 2026

Large grants – This programme offers the largest grants of up to £50,000* towards the cost of major urgent structural repair projects costed at more than £80,000 including VAT. Please note, that due to demand on our funds, their average grant size is currently: £21,000.

*grants of £40,000 to £50,000 are extremely limited and reserved for cases which demonstrate a very high case for investment.

They will also consider projects that introduce kitchens and accessible toilets to enable increased community use, costed at more than £30,000 including VAT. Grants will never exceed 50% of the project cost.

Grant application dates for Large grants:

• Next Stage 1 deadline: Tuesday 3rd November 2026
• Next Stage 2 deadline: you will be notified of this if you pass Stage 1

National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) – https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding/what-we-fund

The NLHF funds a broad range of projects that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage. For full details check out their website here. If you are thinking of making an application, please let the Church Buildings Team know so that we can advise on any permissions needed and provide support if needed/appropriate.

Places of Worship Renewal Fund – https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/grants/what-we-fund/places-of-worship-renewal-fund/

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is run by Historic England. It supports urgent repairs and essential improvements to listed places of worship in England.

Grants ranging from £10,000 to £1,000,000 may be awarded for capital works that keep buildings safe, open and in public use.

Any listed place of worship in England can apply, of any faith or denomination, provided it is an active place of worship.

Priority is given to projects in areas of England with the greatest need for investment and those that bring most community benefit. To find the full requirements of the fund including detail on the priorities, objectives, and criteria that all applications will be assessed against, click this link.

In order to support different sizes of project, the fund is divided into 3 streams. These are:

• £10,000 to £50,000 (small grants)
• £50,001 to £350,000 (medium grants)
• £350,001 to £1,000,000 (large grants)

The fund is competitive and not all applications will be successful. If you are thinking of making an application, please let the Church Buildings Team know so that we can advise on any permissions needed and provide a letter of support if needed/appropriate.

For this fund all applicants are asked to complete an expression of interest (EOI). If your EOI is successful, you’ll be invited to make a full application.

The deadline for submitting EOIs for the second round of grants has yet to be confirmed but is expected to be in September 2026.

Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants Fund (MR&IGF) 2026-2028

Following the positive impact of the previous funding made available under the Minor Repairs and Improvements Grant (MR&I) Fund, Worcester Diocese has been awarded a further £93,000 by the Church Commissioners to give as grants towards small-scale repairs and improvements to churches in the Diocese. The Diocese Board of Finance has agreed to match fund an equal amount through utilising the proceeds of a recent sale of a closed church which brings the total amount available to £186,000.

Help with applications

We encourage you to get in touch with us early to discuss your thoughts. For guidance and assistance in formulating your application, you can contact the Church Buildings team via churches@cofe-worcester.org.uk  or call 01905 732809. If not already directly engaged on the project, you should also notify your inspecting architect or surveyor of work to be carried out. Please note that grants will usually only be considered for PCCs that are up-to-date with their Ministry Share payments.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible buildings

The following buildings are eligible for grant funding:

• Church of England consecrated church buildings and licensed places of worship. To qualify, the building must be in use for regular public worship and must be the responsibility (in terms of repair and insurance liability) of its PCC or equivalent body.
• Churches which are the subject of sharing agreements or ecumenical partnerships may be grant-aided to the extent that the building is the responsibility of the Church of England parish.

The ‘building’ extends to its below-ground drainage system, foundations and immediate vicinity.

For the purpose of certain works (detailed below), the ‘building’ may also extend to the boundary walls, railings and fences of the churchyard or curtilage; to the gates providing access to the churchyard or curtilage; and to the paths providing access through the churchyard or curtilage to the church.
 

Ineligible buildings

• Cathedrals
• Churches and chapels which are the responsibility of private owners or non-parochial institutions such as schools, university colleges, hospitals and so-called ‘peculiars’ etc.
• Closed and closing churches (‘closing churches’ defined as those where the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee has recommended closure under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 or where the bishop has agreed it);
• Church or parish halls and other buildings or structures in the churchyard or curtilage except those defined under Eligible buildings above.

Eligible project size/cost

Grants can be made towards projects with estimated costs of up to £15,000 including VAT, which is an eligible cost unless a zero rate is available. The amount of grant is based on the deprivation profile of the parish meaning a rate between 50% and 90% (or more in exceptional circumstances) of the eligible project costs.

On an exceptional basis*, projects with higher estimated costs may be eligible if:

• The estimated eligible costs other than access costs (scaffolding, mobile access platform etc) are within the £15,000 limit but the access costs mean that the threshold is exceeded; and
• The estimated eligible costs including access costs are no more than £30,000;

as long as all the other scheme criteria are met including that the project can be completed and the grant claimed within 12 months which is the standard timeframe.

Grants cannot be used purely as match funding for a bigger project. Applications must relate to standalone projects of repair or improvement (although a project may consist of several elements), with the works commissioned and invoiced in their own right. We recognise that projects may form part of a bigger programme of work but, for the MR&IGF’s purposes, applications must cover a standalone element with a maximum total project cost of £15,000.

Please note that grants will usually only be considered for PCCs that are up-to-date with their Ministry Share payments.

Ineligible project size/cost

Projects with estimated costs of more than £15,000 are ineligible unless the exceptional circumstance detailed above is met.

Eligible works and costs

Eligible repair works and costs include:

Minor repairs

Repair of the building fabric and its permanent building services installations, defined as follows:

• External: roof structure and coverings – slates, tiles, shingles, lead flats etc. and the wooden or metal structure supporting them.
• External: rainwater goods including below-ground drainage – i.e. the whole system for disposing of surface water, including gutters, spouts, hoppers, drainpipes, gullies, surface channels, drains and soakaways.
• External: masonry and foundations – walls, parapets, buttresses, towers and stone or brick spires.
• External: architectural features and decoration – pinnacles, bellcotes, fleches and spires (where constructed of timber and/or metal) and other architectural features; external decoration e.g. limewashing and paintwork.
• External: doors and windows (surrounds, tracery, plain window glass) – external doors including the masonry, wood or metal fabric of the opening/surround/frame as well as the door itself; windows, including the masonry, wood or metal fabric of the opening/surround/frame, tracery and ferramenta and plain window glass (clear or coloured plate glass and leaded lights but not stained or painted glass).
• External: boundary walls, railings and fences; gates and paths – boundary walls, railings, fences and other non-vegetation boundary markers of the churchyard or curtilage; gates providing access to the churchyard or curtilage or within it; paths providing access through the churchyard or curtilage to the church.
• Internal building fabric – ceilings, floors, internal doors, walls and wall linings (plaster/panelling but not wall paintings, mosaics etc.).
• Building services installations – electrical wiring; gas, oil and water pipework; audio-visual system cabling and permanent fixtures and the lightning conductor; permanent fixed appliances such as boilers and cookers. NB: replacement of components would be properly classified as repair; replacement of a whole system should be properly classified as an improvement if the replacement brings about better functionality, capacity or safety.
• Emergency repairs or holding works – propping, covering, protection etc., including temporary roof coverings.

To be eligible, any such work must be recommended in the most recent Quinquennial Inspection report (or subsequent professional report or condition survey etc). Work classified as urgent (either category 1 – Urgent, requiring immediate attention; 2 – Requires attention within 12 months; or 3 – Requires attention within the next 12 – 24 months) should take priority but any work required within the quinquennium is eligible, in particular where ‘stitch in time’ repairs can save money in the long term. Works of differing urgency within that definition may be undertaken together for the sake of efficiency and economy, especially where ‘stitch in time’ repairs can save money in the long term. For guidance on the Quinquennial Inspection and the urgency categories in them, see Commissioning Quinquennial Inspection Reports Guidance Note, available at: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/quinquennial-inspections

Improvements

Improvements to the building fabric and its permanent building services installations, where essential to sustain worship and mission use, defined as follows:

• Additions, alterations or adaptations to overcome building design defects or to improve access for maintenance – e.g. replacement of undersized hoppers or drainpipes or installation of fixed ladders at high level for maintenance/inspection access.
• Additions, alterations or adaptations to improve physical access for users and visitors – e.g. handrails, ramps etc; the objective of such work should be to achieve equal access rather than an arbitrary improvement; for guidance see Equal Access to Church Buildings, available at: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/accessibility
• Improvements to building services installations – such as improvements to heating, lighting, wiring, kitchens, WCs, audiovisual systems. Where necessary, this might include the installation or upgrading of supply infrastructure, including pipework or cabling from the nearest suitable connection, e.g. to provide a three-phase electricity supply.
• New installations or improvements to existing installations for digital connectivity – whether through a wired connection or 4G/5G mobile Wi-Fi.
• Bat mitigation measures – including relevant ecologist fees and production of a bat management plan where necessary, where the impact of bats is a barrier to worship and mission use. A one-off deep clean may be an eligible cost as part of a mitigation plan. NB: where an element is being repaired after bat damage, the work should be categorised as a Minor repair

Other eligible costs

Necessary costs incurred with an associated eligible repair or improvement:

• Contractors’ preliminaries
• Scaffolding and other essential access costs
• Professional fees to design, specify, inspect and certify the repair or improvement work
• Professional fees for standalone investigative reports for repairs – e.g. fees for investigation, survey, design or specification aimed at repair work. To be eligible, the repair work envisaged must itself be eligible for the MR&I Grants Fund, even if the likely cost of that future work may potentially be above the project cost threshold. NB: in cases where the cost of such preparatory work could be included in the development phase of a major project eligible for grant from a large-scale funder such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund, such requests should take that route for funding rather than MR&I.
• VAT – unless a zero rate is available. For guidance, see Understanding VAT Zero‑Rating for Church Works, available at https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/understanding-vat-zero-rating-church-works.

Where a reduced rate is applicable, the amount of VAT payable (and not recoverable) would be eligible for grant.

• Professional fees for standalone project development for improvements – as above, the improvement envisaged must itself be eligible for the MR&I Grants Fund e.g. fees for investigation, survey, design or specification aimed at repair work. To be eligible, the repair work envisaged must itself be eligible for the MR&I Grants Fund, even if the likely cost of that future work may potentially be above the project cost threshold.

Ineligible work

• Routine maintenance, as set out in the Calendar of Care, available at: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/building-maintenance-and-repair
• Routine cleaning. If the increased cleaning burden is due to bats, this may be eligible for a Living Alongside Bats in Churches grant, see: https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/buildings-planning-and-development/bats-and-churches/living-alongside-bats-in-churches-grant
• Routine inspections (Quinquennial Inspections, periodic inspection and testing of electrical installations, appliance testing, gas safety checks, etc).
• Routine servicing of building services installations.
• New or replacement fossil fuel appliances.
• Works, including conservation reports, professional fees and VAT, for furnishings, such as bells and bell frames, books and manuscripts, church plate, clocks, monumental brasses and decorative metalwork, monuments, organs, paintings and wall paintings, stained or painted glass, textiles and wooden objects. These may qualify for the grants administered by the Archbishops’ Council for historic church interiors and churchyard structures: see https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/our-conservation-grants/grants-historic-church-interiors-and-churchyard-structures#na
• Works, including conservation reports, professional fees and VAT, for structures such as tombs, monuments, grave markers, churchyard crosses and other buildings in the immediate vicinity of the church or in the wider churchyard or curtilage. These may qualify for the grants administered by the Archbishops’ Council for historic church interiors and churchyard structures: see https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/our-conservation-grants/grants-historic-church-interiors-and-churchyard-structures#na
• Soft landscape repair, maintenance, tree surgery and pruning, grass-cutting and other gardening work.
• Any work covered by insurance.

How to apply for a grant

Based on feedback from the last funding cycle, to make it easier for applicants we are adopting a two-stage approach involving submission of an initial Expression of Interest followed by a full application once we have checked that the proposed works are eligible.  

Click here for the link to complete and submit an Expression of Interest. If your project is eligible we will send you the link to the application form. We will also confirm the correct rate of grant based on your parish’s Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) ranking. To help you prepare to fill in the form, you can download a copy of the questions on the form here.

Please note that each church is only eligible to receive one grant award during the funding period.

Please ensure you have read the guidance and eligibility information above carefully before submitting an application.

The necessary Faculty or other relevant consents will need to be in place prior to works commencing but need not delay making an application to the Fund. No work can be carried out until a decision has been made on your grant application and, if applicable, a grant offer has been made and accepted.

Application windows

Applications will be considered by a panel including DBF staff and Archdeacons; advice may be sought from the Diocesan Advisory Committee.

We will aim to reach a decision on applications received by the end of each application period within 4 weeks of the end of the period. Applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been successful.

Application round	EOI deadline	Application deadline	Panel meeting
1: Oct 26	Fri 30 Oct 2026	Fri 20 Nov	Thurs 10 Dec
2: Nov 26 – Jan 27	Fri 8 Jan 2027	Fri 29 Jan 2027	To be confirmed
3: Feb – Apr 27	Fri 9 Apr 2027	Fri 30 Apr 2027	To be confirmed
4: May – July 27	Fri 9 July 2027	Fri 30 July 2027	To be confirmed
5: Aug – Oct 27	Fri 8 Oct 2027	Fri 29 Oct 2027	To be confirmed
6: Nov 27– Jan 28	Fri 7 Jan 2028	Fri 28 Jan 2028	To be confirmed
7: Feb – Apr 28	Fri 7 Apr 2028	Fri 28 Apr 2028	To be confirmed
8: May – June 28	Fri 9 June 2028	Fri 30 June 2028	To be confirmed

Other funding for church building projects

Applying for this grant does not preclude you from applying to other Diocesan grants (e.g. Kingdom People/Healthier Churches Fund).

Worcester Diocese has been awarded £90,700 by the Church Commissioners to give as grants to enable parishes to implement small scale net zero carbon works that will help reduce their church building’s/church hall’s carbon footprint before June 2029. Details of eligible works can be found in the guidance and eligibility sections below.

Grants of up to £10,000 can be made towards projects with costs of up to £10,000. In terms of VAT, it will be assumed that whenever reasonably possible, PCCs will take advantage of schemes for reclaiming VAT, or take advantage of schemes that allow reduced rates of VAT. Therefore, the Quick Wins fund will only contribute to VAT costs when such costs cannot be reasonably reclaimed or reduced through other scheme(s).

Please note that each church is only eligible to receive one grant award during the funding period.

Help with applications

Before making an application, we encourage you to get in touch with us at an early stage to discuss your thoughts.

For guidance and assistance in formulating your application, you can contact the Church Buildings team via churches@cofe-worcester.org.uk  or call 01905 732809.

If not already directly engaged on the project, you should also notify your inspecting architect or surveyor of work to be carried out.

Grants will usually only be considered for PCCs that are up-to-date with their Ministry Share payments.

The necessary Faculty or List B permission (as appropriate) and/or any other relevant statutory consents will need to be in place prior to works commencing but need not delay making an application to the Fund. No work can be carried out until a decision has been made on your grant application and, if applicable, a grant offer has been made and accepted.

If interiors are of historic, architectural, conservation and/or artistic interest, professional and DAC advice must be sought before grant funded works are undertaken.

Advice must be sought in connection with any project that could disturb bats.

Eligible buildings

• Churches and church halls that are in active use and in parochial or diocesan ownership.

Ineligible buildings

• CofE congregations meeting in rented or leased accommodation owned by others. 
• Buildings for which the most recent Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) submission has not been completed.
• Buildings not registered with A Rocha’s Eco Church scheme and ideally having achieved at least bronze award.
• Cathedrals, schools, housing and other building types.

Cross-funding of projects with other Building for Mission or Net Zero Carbon grant streams

• Cross-funding of projects which meet the requirements of both the Buildings for Mission Minor Repairs and Improvements (MR&I) Fund and NZC Quick Wins Fund is eligible. However, where this is the case, PCCs should demonstrate in their application to the Quick Wins fund that the spirit of their proposals aligns with the Church of England aspirations to move towards net zero and fit within part of a wider PCC plan of works to reduce carbon emission in their buildings.
• Double funding is not permitted.
• Cross-funding the same project with other grants from the Church of England NZC Programme is generally not eligible;
  • For example, a NZC Demonstrator Church is not eligible to use Quick Wins grant funding towards the funds raised for their 50% contribution to stage 2 capital costs.
  • Likewise, a project accepted into the Decarbonising Church Grant Fund (DCGF) is not eligible to use Quick Wins towards the costs of project not funded by the DCGF.
  • The exception to this is the £3k grant offered following a fully subsidised ‘Parish Buying’ energy audit. This £3k grant is intended as a contribution to support a church in undertaking the initial steps recommended by the audit. A church is therefore eligible to supplement this £3k grant with an additional Quick Wins grant.
• A church which has previously received a grant from the NZC Programme (e.g. Give To Go Green or a Quick Wins grant in the previous 2023-2025 triennium) is eligible to subsequently receive a Quick Wins grant for a separate project in the 2026-2028 triennium if this project was not previously funded, or for NZC works which are the next step in a larger project to support the transition to NZC. It is generally expected that a specific church building will only receive one Quick Wins grant during the 2026-28 triennium, even if separate projects are applied for.

Eligible work

Insultation and draft proofing

Generally, works that help reduce energy consumption and/or enable areas to be maintained at comfortable temperatures are eligible. Such works include:

• Insulating loft roofs and loft spaces where there is an uninsulated, easy-to access void.
• Insulating around heating pipes.
• Draught-proofing doors and windows, including putting up a door-curtain.
• Installing a secondary door / porch to reduce heat loss at an entrance to a church.
• Laying rugs/floor-coverings (appropriately breathable) or fabric wall-hangings or panels (with an air gap behind) if these are designed primarily to improve insultation to improve comfort and/or reduce carbon emissions.

Lighting

Work that significantly reduces gross carbon emissions (as measured by the Energy Footprint Tool) associated with lighting will be eligible, in particular:

• Replacing lights with LEDs. This can include replacing light fittings if they are not LED compatible.
• Installing thermal and/or motion sensors on lighting.

Heating controls (including zoning)

• Work that enables better monitoring and control of heating, including:
• Creating one or more smaller (separately heatable) spaces for smaller events.
• Matching heating settings better to usage.
• Installing a HIVE- or NEST-type heating controller, to better control heating.
• Improving heating zones and controls.
• Installing TRVs on radiators in meeting rooms & offices.
• Installing energy-saving devices such as Savawatt on fridges or other appliances.
• Installing a smart meter, to better measure energy use.

Efforts to reduce or eliminate use of oil or gas for heating

This can include supporting towards the costs of installation of electric powered appliances such as those below which either replace or significantly reduce the use of oil and gas-fired space heating:

• Under-pew electric heaters
• Infra-red radiant panels and/or halo heaters
• Heat pumps
• Heated chair cushions

Further eligible works could include replacing gas cookers with electric and installing ‘point of use’ electric water heaters for sinks which avoid the need to heat tap water with gas/oil.

Destratification fans will not generally be eligible unless there is clear evidence demonstrating that, in the specific building, they will significantly reduce energy consumption / reduce carbon emissions as part of a wider plan to move towards net zero.

Electrical upgrades

Work that enables a move towards direct electric heating approaches such as upgrades to the electrical system and/or supply serving the property, to enable a church or church hall to move away from oil or gas heating, or to substantial reduce their use of existing oil or gas heating.

Temporary heating solutions

Works that enable a church or church hall to avoid undertaking a like-for-like oil or gas-heating replacement, when all the following specific circumstances occur:

• The fossil fuel heating system has failed.
• It is an emergency situation.
• No other temporary heating solution is available.

Eligible costs under the Quick Wins fund:

• Boiler hire
• Electric heater hire or purchase
• Heated chair cushions

It is expected these temporary solutions will last for no more than one year, whilst the church makes plans, seeks advice, applies for faculty and fundraises for a permanent low carbon alternative.

In these circumstances, temporary heating appliances will ideally be owned by the Diocese so that, at the end of the temporary period, once the church has installed their permanent heating solution, the Diocese can then make the appliances available to other parishes.

Work that helps address ingress of damp

Repairs to roofs and rainwater goods (e.g. gutters, downpipes) can be considered eligible if:

• They do not constitute work that would normally be considered as routine maintenance.
• Align with the spirit of the Church of England to move towards net zero and genuinely fit within part of a wider PCC plan of works to reduce carbon emission in their buildings.

Solar PV systems

Quick Wins support towards Solar PV systems will be eligible only when PV systems are part of a wider PCC plan which prioritises actions to decarbonise their building(s). A genuine commitment to decarbonise (with some other measures to transition to net zero carbon already completed) must be clearly evident before Quick Wins support for a PV system is considered.

VAT

It will be assumed that whenever reasonably possible, PCCs will take advantage of schemes for reclaiming VAT, or take advantage of schemes that allow reduced rates of VAT. Accordingly, the Quick Wins fund will only contribute to VAT costs when such costs could not have reasonably been reclaimed or reduced through other scheme(s).

Ineligible Works

Non-capital works are generally ineligible unless they are a legal requirement of an eligible capital project (e.g. certification of electrical works).

How to apply for a grant

Based on feedback from the last funding cycle, to make it easier for applicants we are adopting a two-stage approach involving submission of an initial Expression of Interest followed by a full application once we have checked that the proposed works are eligible. 

 Click here for the link to complete and submit an Expression of Interest. If your project is eligible we will send you the link to the application form. To help you prepare to fill in the form, you can download a copy of the questions on the form here.

Please read the guidance and eligibility information on our website carefully before submitting an application.

Application windows

Applications will be considered by a panel including Diocesan staff and Archdeacons; advice may be sought from the Diocesan Advisory Committee.

We will aim to reach a decision on applications received by the end of each application period within 4 weeks of the end of the period. Applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been successful.

Application round	EOI deadline	Application deadline	Panel meeting
1: Oct 26	Fri 30 Oct 2026	Fri 20 Nov 2026	Thurs 10th Dec
2: Nov 26 – Jan 27	Fri 8 Jan 2027	Fri 29 Jan 2027	To be confirmed
3: Feb – Apr 27	Fri 9 Apr 2027	Fri 30 Apr 2027	To be confirmed
4: May – July 27	Fri 9 July 2027	Fri 30 July 2027	To be confirmed
5: Aug – Oct 27	Fri 8 Oct 2027	Fri 29 Oct 2027	To be confirmed
6: Nov 27– Jan 28	Fri 7 Jan 2028	Fri 28 Jan 2028	To be confirmed
7: Feb – Apr 28	Fri 7 Apr 2028	Fri 28 Apr 2028	To be confirmed
8: May – June 28	Fri 9 June 2028	Fri 30 June 2028	To be confirmed

Other funding for church building projects

Applying for this grant does not preclude you from applying to other Diocesan grants (e.g. Kingdom People/Healthier Churches Fund).

The Parish Accessibility Fund aims to help parishes to enhance accessibility and inclusion for those who are Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent.

The Fund is administered by the National Disability Project team but potential applicants are strongly advised to discuss proposals with the Church Buildings Team before making an application because we/the DAC will be asked to provide advice to the national team on applications they receive. Contact us on churches@cofe-worcester.org.uk or 01905 732809.

Full details including the Fund criteria, guidance, application form and supporting templates are available here. Please read them carefully to ensure the criteria will be met before considering an application.

The Fund has two grant streams:

For the Large Grants stream, there are no restrictions on the total overall cost of your project. The amount you apply for from the Fund must not be above £50,000.

For the Small Grants stream, the total overall project cost must not be above twice the amount you are applying for from the fund or above £10,000. The amount you apply for from the Fund must not be above £5,000 or below £1,000.

“Funding round” is the term used for the period leading up to a grants panel, during which applications may be submitted up to a certain maximum total value. Panels will occur at approximately 2-monthly intervals. Dates will be publicised on the information page at the Disability Project webpages. For 2026, provisional agreed dates for the Large Grants panels are:

• 20 April 2026
• 1st July
• 6th August
• 26th October
• TBA December

Note that the applications window for a grants panel will close 10 working days prior to the panel date.

Information on the dates of Small Grants panels meetings will be available from 1st May.

Below are funders that exclusively work in the West Midlands so are not included in the national guide.

Worcestershire & Dudley Historic Churches Trust – www.worcesteranddudleyhistoricchurches.org.uk

The Trust awards relatively small financial grants for the repair, preservation and refurbishment of Christian places of worship in Worcestershire and Dudley only. They consider applications for assistance with major items of maintenance and repair to the structure and fabric of places of worship of architectural significance (not necessarily old) of all Christian denominations. Their current priority in awarding grants is the repair or replacement of the external fabric of the building – walls, roof, windows and rainwater goods to ensure a building is watertight and so prevent further deterioration; they may also award a grant for safety reasons e.g. the repair or replacement of lightning conductors. At present their modest grants are usually for £500 only.

Droitwich Preservation Trust – No website, phone 01905 796677.

They give small grants to stimulate public interest in the preservation of architectural and other amenities of the county of Worcestershire.

Worcestershire Councillors’ Divisional Fund – www.worcestershire.gov.uk

A Worcestershire Councillors’ Divisional Fund (WCDF) has been created to enable local members to access money to help local initiatives and support ‘good works’ which play an important role in promoting the economic, social and environmental well-being of communities within Worcestershire. Each of the 57 members of the Council have an allocation of £10,000 (per financial year), to spend on locally-determined initiatives within their Divisions. They have reasonable discretion as to how to spend their allocation, as long as they are lawful for the Council, rational and are properly recorded. The WCDF is aimed at one-off items of expenditure or supporting community activity, local and national charities or voluntary organisations within the local Division. Formal applications for bids to the WCDF can only be submitted by the local County Councillor, however individuals or organisations can contact their local Councillor and seek support from the Fund. If you do want to contact your Councillor for support, it would be helpful if you could provide them information on how support from the WCDF would promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of the local area, or those people within it.

Worcester City Council small community grants – www.worcester.gov.uk/community-centres/worcester-small-community-grants

To support the delivery of the City Plan, Worcester City Council has set aside a Worcester Community Grant pot to support organisations delivering services on the front line of their communities. Funding is available to community groups, charities and voluntary sector organisations to support new community projects in Worcester.

Grants are available to a maximum threshold of £5000. It is strongly recommended that grants should be applied for at least two months before the event as the grants panel meets at the beginning of the month. Full criteria and application form is on the website.

The Eveson Trust https://www.eveson.org.uk/

The Eveson Trust is able to consider applications for funding from registered charities operating in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and the metropolitan boroughs of the West Midlands which support:

• people with disabilities
• people needing help with mental wellfare
• children in need
• older people
• people experiencing homelessness
• hospital and hospices

The award grants are for revenue costs (running costs), projects or capital project.

There are no application deadlines; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

The Big Local DY10 HBG – www.biglocaldy10.com/grants/

Their small grants programme has reopened and is now taking general applications for community projects from individuals and voluntary organisations working within the area. Projects MUST be within the Big Local DY10 HBG area and for the benefit of residents of that area which is the Horsefair and parts of Broadwaters and Greenhill. The beneficiaries of any project must be the residents of the Big Local DY10 area. Individuals who are under 16 years old and live, work, study or volunteer in the area can apply for up to £100. Individuals 16+ can apply for up to £1,000. Not-for-profit organisations working in the area may apply for up to £2,000. They are working to get grant decisions made as quickly as possible. All applications will receive a response within eight days.

Worcestershire Community Foundation – https://www.worcscf.org.uk/our-grants/current-grants/

The Community Foundation run a number of focussed grants in partnership with others; see the website for details of what they are currently funding.

Laslett’s Hinton Charity Grants – www.lasletts.org.uk/grants.html

Every 3 months the Trustees of Laslett’s Hinton Charity meet to discuss the many grant applications they receive. They will consider making modest grants to local organisations and charities who fulfil the following criteria:

• Churches assisting in the repair and restoration of churches and chapels connected with the established Church of England.
• Organisations who assist poor, aged or infirm people as the Trustees think fit. Grants of up to £5,000 are usually given.

Severn Trent Community Fund – www.stwater.co.uk/about-us/severn-trent-community-fund/

The fund is overseen by the Community Fund Panel, who review applications on a quarterly basis. Themes are:

• People: Projects that help people to lead a healthier life and gain new skills.
• Places: Projects that help to create better places to live in and use.
• Environment: Projects that will help look after our natural environment, give people greater access to that environment or help look after water. They are unable to support political or religious causes, however they will consider religious organisations if projects are for wider community benefit and not faith-based.

Biffa Awards (Landfill grants) – www.biffa-award.org/community-buildings/

Biffa works in many parts of the Diocese but you need to use their postcode checker to see if you are eligible to apply. They have four streams of funding of which community buildings is the most relevant. Projects under the Community Buildings theme include those which improve buildings at the heart of their communities – such as village halls, community centres and church halls. They can include building refurbishments and internal works to kitchens, toilets, roofs, flooring, window, doors and heating systems. Applications from churches must be able to demonstrate a wider community use, consultation and benefit – such as youth groups, special interest groups, exercise groups etc.

William Adlington Cadbury Charitable Trust – www.wa-cadbury.org.uk

Amongst many other things, the William Adlington Cadbury Charitable Trust funds the conservation of the environment, including the preservation of listed buildings and monuments, in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Rowlands Trust – Website / Email

Small grants for a number of projects that may benefit churches including:

• People and areas disadvantaged by education, health, finance and disability
• Elderly and young people
• Music and the arts
• The environment
• Restoration and re-ordering of church buildings which lead to an increase in community use

The Charity is limited to working in the West and South Midlands including Hereford, Worcester, North Gloucestershire, South Shropshire and Birmingham.

Historic Religious Buildings Alliance – www.hrballiance.org.uk/resources/help-advice/

HRBA brings together those working for a secure future for historic religious buildings. Their e-newsletter is free and is sent out once a month and is packed with important and useful information to keep you informed about the future of historic religious buildings, government policies and funding opportunities. They also have a page with a comprehensive list of resources.

Loans from Worcester Diocesan Sites and Buildings Fund

1. The Fund is the responsibility of the Diocesan Trustees and the administration is undertaken by the Diocesan Secretary. Loan applications will be considered from PCCs to provide cashflow where the PCC cannot fund work from reserves while:

• Fundraising is completed, particularly on urgent repairs and/or
• Grant payments are received to help meet the cost of repairs and alterations to the fabric of their churches.

2. Repairs are defined as the major items of maintenance of the structure of the fabric of the building. The term includes heating, lighting and decoration. It also includes works of repair necessary for the preservation of historic bell frames, the repair or replacement of bells, the maintenance or replacement of pipe or electronic organs provided that they are fixtures rather than loose furniture.

3. Loans will be made over a maximum period of five years. The rate of interest will be subject to review from time to time.

Further information can be found here: Loans from Worcester Diocesan Sites and Buildings Fund / Diocesan Sites and Buildings Fund Application Form