We are pleased to offer two grant funds to support repairs and improvements to church buildings.
The Missional Property Fund provides grants of up to £20,000 towards the repair or improvement of church buildings which makes the building fit for identified mission and ministry needs.
The Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants are small grants of up to £20,000 for urgent and necessary repair or improvement projects on their church buildings.
On this page we cover:
Top tips for applications
Missional Property Fund Grants
Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants
Top Tips for Applicants:
- Read the guidance and ensure you are applying at the right time for your project, that you have the information you need, and will be able to complete the work within the timescales indicated
- Check if you need a faculty or List B approval, and if you do, contact to the Diocesan Advisory Committee Secretary or DAC Assistant
- Wherever possible you should have support in principle from the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) before applying for a grant. The DAC Secretary or Assistant may be able to help with this for applications received after the deadline for March DAC meeting.
- You can only apply to one fund, so work out which is the most appropriate to your needs
Missional Property Fund
The Missional Property Fund was established with a primary aim to support projects which allow parishes to open up church buildings for mission. The Fund has been made possible by generous support from Marshalls Charity.
Please see examples of reordering case studies from Rochester and Canterbury dioceses here
Missional Property Fund Grants
In 2025 the Missional Property Fund will make grants of up to £20,000 to repair or improve church buildings, where this will enable the mission plans for the area.
If you meet the criteria, please complete a stage one application form and email to carol.goodman@rochester.anglican.org.
The 2025 deadline for applications is Friday 21 March 2025.
Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants
Funded by the national church’s Buildings for Mission project, these are small grants to parishes for urgent and necessary repair or improvement projects on their church buildings.
Grants of up to £20,000 can be made towards projects with a maximum cost of up to £20,000 (or £24,000 for unlisted churches who are unable to reclaim the VAT under the Listed Places of Worship (LPW) grant scheme) at a rate of up to 90%.
Grants will be targeted and prioritised according to the circumstances of the parish. It is expected that parishes will supply an element of partnership funding from their own resources.
So that the appropriate level of grant can be assessed consistently, according to the indices of multiple deprivation by ecclesiastical parish as shown in the Church of England Parish Map the following scale for grant rates is used:
- Deprivation rank 6,236 to 12,307 – grant @ 50%
- Deprivation rank 5,012 to 6,235 – grant @ 60%
- Deprivation rank 3,812 to 5,011 – grant @ 70%
- Deprivation rank 2,558 to 3,811 – grant @ 80%
- Deprivation rank 1,232 to 2,557 – grant @ 90%
- Deprivation rank 1 to 1,231 – grant @ 90% (or more if exceptionally justified)
The panel may consider that there is a case for a different rate than those shown above in exceptional circumstances.
The panel may consider urgent needs outside the cycle of published meeting dates.
If you are unsuccessful you may reapply in a future funding round.
Grant conditions
- The offer of a grant from the Fund does not remove the requirement for the PCC to obtain faculty or approval under list A or B, as necessary, or any other necessary permission before the work goes ahead. The offer of a grant does not imply support for the proposal for the purposes of faculty or any other approval and does not indicate that permission will be forthcoming. Wherever possible you should have support in principle from the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) before applying for a grant.
- Work should not begin until the diocese has approved the scope, methodology and costs of the work and made an offer in writing which the PCC has accepted.
- Work costing more than £1,000 will need to be subject to some form of competitive procurement (normally by obtaining itemised quotations for comparison) on a best value basis. A full competitive tender exercise will not be required unless the nature of the work or other factors make it necessary.
- Work will need to be carried out, paid for and claimed within a year of the offer date or by 31 December 2025, whichever is the sooner.
If you meet the criteria, please complete an application form. There is a rolling application process, of which you will be advised when you submit your application.
Key contacts
Carol GoodmanExecutive Assistant to Diocesan Secretary
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