This page gives you information on grant funding available for work on our church buildings. If you are looking for grant information for other projects please see the Finance section of the website.
Projects on our church buildings vary significantly from routine maintenance and repair to large scale re-ordering projects and extensions. Many of the projects will be funded from existing reserves or from specific fundraising but external grants can in many cases provide a significant proportion of the funds required.
Before looking for grants it is important to be clear exactly what the project is. Most grant funders will expect detailed proposals of the work before they will consider an application and some grants will only support certain types of work. e.g. community focussed projects. You will also find that some grant funders will not consider an application until a certain percentage of the costs have already been raised and therefore you may want to consider which grants you apply for first. Some grants also have specific application windows each year so it is important that you consider this when planning which grants you will apply for.
A list of organisations from which churches in the diocese have received grants from is updated regularly from information provided by parishes (see below). If you have received grants recently, please inform the Buildings for Mission Secretary of the details so that this information can be kept up to date.
The Diocese offers two different grants that are both administered by our Church Building Panel.
The Minor Repairs and Improvement Grants can be used for most repairs and improvements to a church building.
The Quick Wins Grants can be used to support relatively small projects that will reduce the carbon output of you church building or church hall.
The application forms are slightly different for both grants but should take no more than about 15 minutes to complete.
Grants of a percentage (dependant on the churches deprivation index) of the total costs of the work can be granted up to a maximum of £5000 (or £6000 for unlisted churches who cannot claim the VAT). For details on the percentage applicable to your church for the Minor Repair Improvement Grant, please contact Martin Howard (martin.howard@durham.anglican.org or phone 07586090996)
The Panel are also able to offer loans of up to £15,000 to help support churches who need to undertake urgent repairs. The application form can be found on the Church Building Resources Page and should be returned to The Buildings for Mission Secretary via email to martin.howard@durham.anglican.org along with relevant supporting documents.
The Church Building Panel considers applications on an on-going basis so a decision is usually made within a couple of weeks.
If your church is a listed building you are able to claim the VAT back on maintenance and repairs through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. For details on how to claim please visit their website.
The Disability Project Parish Grants Scheme
Parishes in the diocese can now apply for grants to support changes to their buildings that allow all people to access the buildings and engage in services and activities. There are some smaller grants of £5000 and larger grants of up to £50,000. Further information can be found at Disability Project Parish Grants Scheme | The Church of England and if you click on the link you will find application details. Any completed applications should be sent to Martin Howard.
If you require any support in making grant applications please contact the Buildings for Mission Secretary in the first instance.
For all resources, please click here.