Hereford Diocese has been awarded £123,750 by the Church Commissioners to give as grants towards small-scale repairs and improvements to churches in the diocese before the end of 2025. The primary focus will be essential and urgent building fabric repair projects.
Grants of up to £10,000 can be made towards projects with costs of up to £10,000 (or £12,000 if the VAT is not eligible under the Listed Places of Worship (LPW) grant scheme) at a rate between 50% and 90% (or more in exceptional circumstances) of the project costs, depending on the deprivation profile of the parish. Projects with total costs of over £10,000 (£12,000 for non-listed churches) are not eligible.
The next deadline for receiving grant applications is Friday 7th March 2025. Applications will be considered by a sub-committee of the Diocesan Advisory Committee on Wednesday 26th March 2025 and applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been successful by Friday 4th April 2025. There will be further application periods during 2025.
Applications submitted before the last deadline on 1st November 2024 will be considered by a sub-committee of the Diocesan Advisory Committee on Thursday 28th November 2024 and applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been successful by Friday 6th December 2024.
Please note that you should have the necessary List B Archdeacon's Consent, Faculty and any other relevant building consent in place before applying and we do not accept retrospective applications.
If applications for grant funding exceed the funds available, the sub-committee of the DAC will award funding according to a rating system, which can be viewed here.
Minor repair grants
To apply for a grant towards the costs of repairs please download and complete a copy of the application form for minor repairs. Completed applications should be emailed to the Buildings for Mission inbox.
Please read the Guidance for minor repair applications carefully before submitting an application.
The Diocese will prioritise applications for minor roof repairs, repairs to rainwater goods and re-pointing, as well as, investigative reports recommended in quinquennial inspection reports.
Minor improvements grants
To apply for a grant towards the costs of improvements please download and complete a copy of the application form for minor improvements. Completed applications should be emailed to the Buildings for Mission inbox.
Please read the Guidance for minor improvement applications carefully before submitting an application.
The Diocese will prioritise projects that improve climate resilience, for example, increasing the capacity of rainwater goods, and projects that improve both digital and physical accessibility.
Help with applications
If you have any questions about the grants or would like further information, please email Lorna Theophilus, Church Buildings Support Officer or telephone: 07514 494 693.
For other sources of funding or church building projects please see our Funding Directory.
Information on the Diocese's Net Zero Quick Wins Grant can be accessed here.