In responding to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, we recommend that parishes try to apply for grants rather than spending reserves whenever possible.
For parishes and their church buildings, upcoming deadlines for key funders include:
- Church Restoration Grants from Marshall’s Charity – 26 February (then 7 May) 2021
- Cornerstone Grants from the National Churches Trust – 1 March (then 5 July) 2021
Other relevant sources of grant-funding have rolling programmes rather than fixed deadlines for submitting applications. See for example:
- AllChurches Trust
- City Bridge Trust
- Garfield Weston Foundation
- National Lottery Community Fund
- National Lottery Heritage Fund
For further ideas of where to apply for grants, and how to do so more effectively, you are encouraged to check the church fundraising online hub launched by Ecclesiastical Insurance last year. This website includes a collated list of organisations that (during the Coronavirus pandemic) may offer emergency grant-funding support to churches. The hub also offers pre-recorded digital fundraising webinars that are available to watch, and resources such as checklists/toolkits:
- Top tips for fundraising by churches during COVID-19
- Researching possible donors and funders
- Checklist for grant applications
- Case for support guidance for churches
- Outputs and outcomes guidance
