Find out about grants for churches

Help!  How do we find out about grants for churches?

All churches need constant maintenance, renovation and improvement to keep them open and relevant for their communities.  With so many churches listed heritage buildings, the need for church renovation grants has never been greater.

For the average church council member, finding out about grants for churches can seem to be a daunting task, yet there are some great resources available online at the click of a mouse!

One of Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust’s favourite sites for information is from Bristol Diocese. The resources there are free and include some simple ‘How To’ guides that cover topics such as applying for grants, fundraising, managing your church building project, legacy giving, and applying for faculty. Bristol Diocese also has a local grant fundraising guide, which can be used alongside the National Guide.

Of course, it is not just the Church of England that has good information – Methodists can also find help here and Baptists can always visit this website. Remember that many grants for church maintenance are given by non-denominational charities and, of course, other denominations may have their own fundraising advice.

Whether your project is for church building grants, church roof repairs or improvements to your church such as the addition of toilets or kitchens you would be well advised to look at the Diocese of Hereford website where there is an excellent guide called the ‘Crossing the Threshold’ Toolkit.  The guide, which can be used by all denominations covers not just financial issues but gives a complete project management guide to church building projects from conception to completion. It can be found here.

So, whether it is for church renovation grants, a roof repair fund or church maintenance there is a lot of help out there – plus if you are in Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire or North Bristol there is also Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust!  Our Grants Committee normally meets on the first Monday of June and December with deadlines for applications on 30th April and 31st October each year.

Good luck with fundraising and getting grants for your project!