Grants for work on church buildings

Church Building Grants

Church Building Grants are allocated by the diocese, to assist parishes with the cost of building repairs.

Parishes can make an application for a grant to assist with meeting the cost of repairs, restoration and security of the church building.

An application cannot normally be made for assistance with re-ordering, decoration, groundwork, boundary walls or organ restoration. The maximum amount that can be allocated for a grant is £20,000.

Criteria

Any grant award should have the support of the respective Parish, Deanery, Archdeacon and Deanery Pastoral Committee.
It is also a requirement that, where necessary, there is professional supervision by a qualified architect.
An award is granted on the understanding that the Faculty application is subsequently successful.
There is an expectation that parishes applying for grants should have paid their Share in full. All Grants are awarded conditional on the parish paying its Share in full in the year in which the grant is awarded and that relevant Faculty permission is awarded before work commences.
For parishes in a newly formed single parish team or benefice with more than one parish church, if you feel that you have met your Share commitment but others in the team or benefice have not, in exceptional circumstances, the diocese may use its discretion to consider an application. This will only apply for the first two years of a pastoral change.

Application Process

Parishes must consult with the appropriate Archdeacon or diocesan officer for legal and technical advice before applying for a grant application. You can download the application form via this link: Church Buildings Grants application form.

Completed applications should be returned to:

finance@manchester.anglican.org

Finance Department
St John’s House
155-163 The Rock
Bury
BL9 0ND

Information to accompany your application form

It is important that the correct attachments are sent with your application form:

Accounts - these should be complete examined accounts which clearly show where monies are restricted or designated. There should be an aggregate page with the accounts. Parishes with over £100,000 in their accounts need to have compliant accounts - this will be checked before grants are awarded. Parishes who need advice about their accounts should contact the Finance department.

Quotations – The Grants Panel would like to see two competitive quotes, however if only one quotation is obtained, the parish could give a reason and inform us if the quotation has been approved by your surveyor or architect.

Please read the DAC and Faculty guidance before submitting your application.

Disability Project Parish Grants Scheme

From September 2024, our parishes can apply for grant funding to improve their accessibility and inclusion for those who are deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent.

This Parish Grants Scheme is initially for parishes in northern dioceses, but this may be expanded in later years.

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

Find out more on the Church of England website.

The application form and guidance documents can be found here.

For any questions or to find out more, please email Rob Chilton

DAC and Faculty Information

Parishes must consult with the appropriate Archdeacon or diocesan officer for legal and technical advice before applying for a grant application.

For help on Faculty Applications:

Fr Alan Simpson or Judith Popay
DAC Secretary
Tel: 0161 828 1419
Email: dac@manchester.anglican.org

Please see the Church Buildings section of the diocesan website https://www.manchester.anglican.org/churchbuildings for more information on the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches (DAC) and the Faculty process.

New Boiler Replacement Hardship Grant Fund

The new Boiler Replacement Hardship Grant Fund is designed to help churches and church halls with limited budgets, by offering grants of up to 45k to cover the difference in cost between a low-carbon heating system and an oil or gas heating system.

The fund is from the Church of England’s Net Zero by 2030 programme, which aims to equip, resource and support all parts of the church to tackle climate change by reducing carbon emissions from the energy used in its buildings, schools and work-related transport.

This document explains more about the scheme and how to apply.

If you would like any help, please contact robchilton@manchester.anglican.org