Fundraising for your parish

Picture by Philip King.

When it comes to raising funds for your church buildings – whether it’s for urgent repairs, installation of toilets and kitchens, a re-ordering for a more community-friendly space, or conserving historic treasures, this section will guide you through your first steps.

Your strategy

Aspirations, needs, priorities, outcomes. All this ‘grant-speak’ can be daunting but you’ll soon get the hang of it. Take a look at the checklist below from the leader of a highly successful project in a modestly-sized church within a small village to help you focus on your own scheme. 

Strategy Checklist | PDF

Apply early

Funders such as the National Churches Trust like to see projects in their planning stages. Potential partners and funders will want to see a professional business plan for your project and your Statement of Significance is a good starting point.

Business Plan | PDF

Statement of Significance | PDF

Who can help?

Only a handful of funders can help with your particular project. That’s because each has strict criteria – usually found on their website. If you can’t match their requirements, it’s time to move on. You can view helpful presentations from the National Churches Trust and Suffolk Historic Churches Trust. They can help with both grants and advice on other funders. 

Charitable Grants for Churches | PDF

Heritage Funding | Webpage

National Churches Trust | Weblink

Suffolk Historic Churches Trust | Weblink

National Churches Trust | Weblink

Parish Resources | Weblink

The Centenary Fund | Webpage

Elizabeth Walters Trust | Webpage 

FUNDfinder | Webpage 

Growth fund | Weblink

Fundraising friends

When raising funds from your own resources, the obvious place to start is with your Friends Group. Don’t have one? The National Churches Trust has a downloadable resources pack is approved by the Charity Commission.

Setting up a Friends Group | Weblink

Fundraising relating to the coronavirus

Some funding options have been made available during the Coronavirus pandemic.  For details please click here.