Seed Funding
There are currently no open national grant schemes offering support for small church and community projects. If and when the Church Urban Fund does so again, further information will appear here. In the meantime, the Diocese of Worcester can also make a few small grants available from the Social Responsibility Fund for projects that encourage churches in their work for the good of the community.
There are also a wide range of bodies, some local to the West Midlands, some national, which have various grant programmes. If you want to explore sources of funding, contact Doug Chaplin, the Mission Development Officer, for suggestions and support – doug.chaplin@cofe-worcester.org.uk. You can also ring him on 01905 732817.
The Church Urban Fund
The current priority for the Church Urban Fund is tackling poverty. A project doesn't have to be urban, and it doesn't have to be a church project, although the church needs to be supportive of it. Currently CUF is administering grants for the Department for Communities and Local Government, which address community cohesion between diverse ethnic and religious groupings and communities. News about the next round of funding will be announced in the spring.
Social Responsibility Fund
The Diocese of Worcester can offer some help with funding for small projects. This will usually be in the nature of seed funding.
In any one year, the Mission Development Officer, Doug Chaplin, can approve a small number of grants of up to £750 for a particular piece of work which falls within the main areas of work overseen by the Commission for Social Responsibility.