Diocesan grants
The Diocese has a number of grants available to help its churches and parishes. Find out more below.
Croydon Area Mission Grants
We are again seeking applications for small grants with the aim of supporting new and innovative projects that will enhance parish mission. The funding is made possible by a grant from the Allchurches Trust. The maximum grant available for these will be restricted up to £5,000 and preference will be given to applications for new initiatives from parishes that have not yet received a grant.
Applications should be received by Friday 5th March 2021. Details are in the documents below
Croydon Mission Grant Application Form
Download FileCroydon Mission Grant Guidelines
Download FileCroydon Mission Grant Cover Letter
Download FileKingston Area Mission Grants
For details of Area grants please contact the Kingston Area Office
Woolwich Area Mission Grants
If you have a new, innovative project aimed at enhancing parish mission, why not consider applying a mission grant from the Woolwich Episcopal Area, courtesy of the Allchurches Trust. Details are in the documents below
Woolwich Allchurches Trust grant application
Download FileWoolwich grant application form
Download FileChildren and Youth grants
We offer funding to support mission and ministry with children and young people (CYP) in Diocese of Southwark parishes. There is no deadline for applications and money will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, provided the criteria outlined below are met. This scheme normally provides grants of up to £300 but we will consider some grant applications larger than this where additional significant benefit is proposed, for example, a deanery initiative. Deanery grants can be offered up to £1,500.
Local Training Fund
If you wish to organise your own training locally for volunteers, for example first aid, Godly Play, parenting, developing young leaders, CYP spirituality, Parenting for Faith and more, you can apply to our local training fund to help pay for any trainer costs.
Mission Micro Grants
Is your church or parish planning a new project for CYP in your area? We offer micro-grants of up to £300 to help towards the cost of buying new equipment, running an event, residential, day trips and so on. We are particularly keen to encourage proposals where CYP have taken the lead and identified where to apply to raise money.
Individual Training Grants
We offer small grants to individuals to help towards the cost of training that supports their role working alongside CYP. Grants will be awarded on a case-by-case basis.
Contact admin support for more details and for application forms.
Fresh Expressions of Church grants
The Diocese has created a fund to help Fresh Expressions of Church (fxC) get started.
Small grants are typically £500-£1,000 and go towards the cost of training or small pieces of equipment.
Medium-sized grants are typically £1,000 to £5,000 and are aimed at helping new projects to get off the ground.
Large grants of £5,000 to £10,000 are available for projects seeking help with staffing or other larger costs.
Criteria and grant forms are available to download below:
FxC Grants purpose, process, criteria (.docx, 92kb)
FxC Grant Application 2020 (.docx, 29kb)
FxC Grant Evaluation Report (.docx, 18kb)
To make the most of grants, training is really important and we suggest that churches needing a large grant undertake training as they embark on the journey to seeing an fxC come to maturity. In addition to formal training, we also have mentors to offer support.
For more information and assistance then please contact the Dean of Fresh Expressions, Canon Will Cookson (details below).
Mission grants
Grants of £100 can be awarded to parishes towards purchasing resources to celebrate Thy Kingdom Come. Download the grant application form (.pdf 187kb), or e-mail us at [email protected]
Ministerial Grants
Grants to help with ministry or sabbaticals
Ecclesiastical Insurance
The Ecclesiastical Insurance Group Ministry Bursary Awards Scheme is open to those in full time stipendiary ministry and can assist financially with a work-related project, a study course away, or support research in the UK or abroad. Applicants must normally have completed at least 10 years full time stipendiary ministry. The closing date for applications for awards for each year is generally the end of September of the previous year. For more detail, see the EIG website
Gilmore Fund
Isabella Gilmore was the sister of William Morris who did great works of social care in South London as a Deaconess (from 1887) and trained other women to do the same.
The Gilmore Fund is a legacy left to the Diocese from the sale of her training house. Today, women in ordained and lay ministries in Southwark Diocese can apply to the Fund for grants towards their personal and professional development.
For more information, e-mail [email protected]
Sion College
Sion College makes grants to clergy in London Metropolitan Boroughs south of the River Thames. Membership for at least one year is required for a grant application and costs £20.00 per annum, or £15.00 if you are willing to receive emailed information only. See the College website for more details:
http://www.sioncollege.org/grants.html
St George's Trust
The St George’s Trust offers grants, including clergy grants towards sabbatical expenses. Write, with details of the project its likely cost and an indication of available funds, as far in advance as possible before March or September each year, with an sae to St George’s Trust, Senior Trustee, St Edward’s House, 22 Great College Street, SW1P 3QA
The Alexis Trust
The Alexis Trust: Grants (c£50) for Christian activities.
Write to Prof D W Vere, 14 Broadfield Way, Buckhurst
Hill, IG9 5AG
The English-Speaking Union
The English-Speaking Union offer a grant of up to £1,800 to members of the clergy from all denominations to undertake a tour in the US for up to four weeks with the aim of fostering understanding and the exchange of ideas. Recent scholars have explored pastoral care
and ecumenical links. There is one grant each year. The application deadline is in June, with interviews in July. More details are available from
http://www.esu.org/programmes/scholarships/clergy/
american-memorial-chapel-travel-grant
Mission grants (external)
Churches and parishes may also be able to apply for funding for missional activities from external organisations. If you know of other grant-making bodies not listed here, please contact Mission Support to let us know (details below).
Cinnamon Trust (social action)
Churches are jam-packed full of potential and Cinnamon can help to release it. Each year the organisation interacts with more than 1,000 local churches across the UK and Ireland. It conducts research, provides advice, delivers training courses and helps churches to start social action projects that transform their communities.
Church buildings grants (external)
This is a list of grant-making bodies that are particularly relevant for obtaining grants relating to the care of our church buildings. Please contact the Church Buildings Officer at Trinity House if you need more guidance (see details below).
Getting started
The Church Buildings Officer advises parishes who are seeking sources of grant-funding to start with the ‘National List of Charitable Grants for Churches’ and other helpful guidance provided to PCC Treasurers by Parish Resources.
Regional funders
There are several specific regional funders for areas covering Southwark Diocese:
Surrey Churches Preservation Trust
Funders for church building works
Please find below a summary of the main funders for church building works (mostly, but not all, for listed buildings):
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (VAT reclaim for repairs in/to listed churches):
ChurchCare fabric repairs and historic interiors/objects/structures conservation:
National Lottery Heritage Fund (previously Heritage Lottery Fund)
