This page is maintained by Gareth Greenwood
Funding and Funding Advice
Raising funds either loaclly or from external sources (charitable trusts, government funding streams, the National Lottery etc) can be daunting.
If you have a project brief or specification worked up, and are now ready to look in to what funds maybe available, contact Gareth Greenwood, the Church Buildings Support Officer.
From time to time specific trusts or funding streams are drawn to our attention and we will list key ones here. Please do keep in touch with us, we may be able to offer support and help and we would love to hear how you get on, successful or otherwise, so that others can learn from your experience.
The Cathedral & Church Buildings Department’s expanded £5million conservation grants programme is now open for applications at Conservation Grants.
If you have a conservation project in mind relating to bells and bell frames, books and manuscripts, church plate, churchyard structures, clocks, monumental brasses and decorative metalwork, monuments, organs, paintings and wall paintings. stained glass, textiles or wooden objects, you can now include related fabric repairs up to a maximum of £25k.
An example might be a PCC looking to conserve an alabaster sculpture in a niche where there is existing water ingress due to a building defect adversely affecting the area. As part of the application for money to conserve the sculpture, a request for additional monies to rectify that defect can now be considered.
You will be familiar with our conservation grants programme (long funded by The Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust and other funders) to support the conservation of special features in church, including bells, clocks, organs, stained glass, wall paintings and monuments. All this remains, with additional funding to help more churches. The expanded programme allows us to make grants towards building repairs of up to £25,000 that are linked to the conservation of an object.
Bids for specialist surveys and help for existing recipients’ conservation projects to reach completion will be considered for funding as well.
For further information, please contact colleagues in CCB via conservationgrants@churchofengland.org
2025
Conservation Reports
rolling deadline - 2 week response time
Monuments, Textiles, Wooden Objects, Books & Manuscripts, Church Plate, Curchyard Sytructures, Monumental Brasses and Decorative Metalwork
13 October 2025 - decision by 28 November 2025
Organs and organ cases
6 October 2025 - decision by 28 November 2025
2026
Paintings & Wall Paintings
5 January 2026 - Decision by 20 February 2026
Bells and Bell Frames
26 January 2026 - Decision by 13 March 2026
Stained Glass
23 February 2026 - Decision by 10 April 2026
Clocks
16 March 2026 - Deceision by 1 May 2026
Major Donor Fundraising for church appeals
'How to find potential donors and how to secure significant gifts for your church appeals.'
Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Online Webinar brought to you by the Church Grants Team
10.30am - 12.00 noon
Contact Gareth Greenwood, the Church Buildings Support Officer, for a link to sign up for FREE (usual price £9.99 discounted to zero through the Diocese of Derby’s subscription)
Who should attend?
- Fundraising appeal leads within churches
- Senior church leadership
- Churchwardens
- Members of your Building Committee or Fundraising Committee
Why is major donor fundraising so important to churches?
- Income from trusts & foundations continues to become more competitive with more organisations applying for fewer funds
- Churches will often need to diversify away from trusts & foundations to reach campaign targets
- Major donors are often a great way of leveraging further funds from other income sources
What will you learn?
From decades of church-related major fundraising capital appeal experience, you will
- Learn how to identify major donors already within your networks
- Learn how to find new major donors and know how best to approach these
- Gain the confidence in how to 'present the ask' and 'close the ask'
The Diocesan Board of Finance has extended a joint subscription so that all churches in the diocese can access this grant searching platform for free.
This gives every PCC the opportunity to search a maintained list of local and national grant funders and trusts, that are tailored towards church buildings and Christian project work.
All you need to start looking for that vital funding is your 6 figure parish reference code and the name of your church building.
If you don't know your parish reference code email the Church Buildings Support Officer or you can find it on the Church Heritage Record portal.
Here is the link to the Diocese of Derby Church Grants site
Fundraising Support and Advice
If you have a clear project plan and are beginning to think about how to fundraise, we have made available 30 minute pro bono bespoke consultations online sessions, with Matthew and Andrew from ChurchGrants - contact the Church Buildings Support Officer if you would like to arrange a call with the ChurchGrants Team.
Do you have a small church project that could have a big impact?
Are you looking for a relatively small grant that requires no match funding?
If so, this could be just right for you; £5,000 to fund small but not insignificant capital projects that will generate outcomes which achieve and support mission, community or growth.
There are always good ideas on the boil to enhance welcome, improve accessibility, or perhaps to make small but much needed changes to internal areas. So now is the time to make a significant impact through a small change.
Details, including a full list of criteria and downloadable application form, are available below.
If you are successful, you will be expected to draw on the grant within 12 months.
Applications will be considered by Business Committee at their regular meetings.
2025 application deadlines
Weds, 17 Sept 2025 - signed application and supporting docs scanned in and emailed to gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org
Business Committee consider application on Thurs, 9 October 2025
Weds, 5 Nov 2025 - signed application and supporting doc scanned in and emailed to gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org
Business Committee consider application on Thurs, 27 November 2025
For any further information about applying for the Raymond Ross Large Grants email: gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org or call on 01332 338690 (Mondays/Tuesdays)
This fund offers parishes an exciting opportunity to develop their local church or hall premises, making them more community and mission shaped, and accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
Your project needs to meet outcomes which achieve and support mission, community or growth. A preference will be given to applications from parishes in deprived areas of the Diocese. The maximum grant available will be £25,000 and requires match funding. Parishes will be required to take up grants within two years of a successful application.
The fund is not available for maintenance or repair and cannot be applied for retrospectively.
To download the fund criteria and general information click here
To download an an application form click here
Applications will be assessed by the Business Committee at their regular meetings.
2025 deadlines:
Weds, 17 Sept 2025 - signed application and supporting docs scanned in and emailed to gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org
Business Committee consider application on Thurs, 9 October 2025
Weds, 5 Nov 2025 - signed application and supporting docs scanned in and emailed to gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org
Business Committee consider application on Thurs, 27 November 2025
For any further information about applying for the Raymond Ross Large Grants, email: gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org or call on 01332 338690
This fund is aimed at supporting local congregations to act with a generous faith, through engaging with and embracing the communities they seek to serve. The Diocesan Vision encourages us to be outward facing, rooted in and connected to our communities.
There is an expectation that parishes will work in partnership and create networks for the common good, with particular care for the marginalised and vulnerable. The projects this fund is seeking to support are those which see the church proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom in word and action. The church needs to be good news for all, and this means projects that look to include and/or partner with, other groups or individuals in the host community, demonstrating meaningful and open engagement with those who have had little or no contact with the congregation.
The Diocese wishes to particularly encourage churches to reach out to those who have not considered the church community as a group to which they can relate. Projects that build on the notion of tolerance, reconciliation and friendship will be of particular interest, as will projects that clearly demonstrate the key characteristic of outward-facing generosity, impacting the world for good.
You can apply for up to £2000 without match funding required. Further information, criteria and application forms can be downloaded here or requested from the Church Buildings Support Officer, Gareth Greenwood by email at gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org
2025 application deadlines
Weds, 17 Sept 2025 - signed application and supporting docs scanned in and emailed to gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org
Business Committee consider application on Thurs, 9 October 2025
Weds, 5 Nov 2025 - signed application and supporting docs scanned in and emailed to gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org
Business Committee consider application on Thurs, 27 November 2025
For any further information about applying for the Building Community Fund, email: gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org or call on 01332338690
You can download the application form and criteria here
If you are unsure as to the cicumstances in which you can apply for an interest free loan under this scheme, or have any other questions about the terms, don't hesitate to contact the Head of Finance
EITHER download 'fill in by hand' application to fill out in your own hand, OR
download this 'form field' application, fill in on screen, save and print off, sign and date.
The completed applications must be with the Diocesan Secretary a full month before the Business Committee meeting
