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.
This page focuses on funding - if you are looking for wider buildings support information the following links will take you to it:
All things permissions and Diocesan Advisory Committee
Broader advice helpo and signposting regarding managing, maintaining or developing your buildings
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
2026 dates to be confirmed
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
Planning a church fundraising capital appeal
'Everything you need to know and have in place before venturing on a major church capitoal appeal'
Tuesday, 4th November 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)
Why is planning so important?
- Our Christian churches are some of the most beautiful, architecturally magnificent and important buildings in our country.
- The cost to maintain and sustain the amazing work that happens within these buildings is often much larger than the means of the congregation and groups that meet there.
- So how do you even start to plan for a major capital appeal? And what are the crucial things you need to do, know and understand before you even start to fundraise?
What will you learn?
From decades of church-related major fundraising capital appeal experience, you will
- Gain a greater insight if your capital appeal target is feasible or not?
- Hear more about the different income streams available to you and the techniques to get money from these.
- Understand what people, processes and resources you need before you even start fundraising.
- Get to see helpful examples of resources to help and execute your fundraising appeal.
Who should attend?
- Fundraising appeal leads within churches
- Senior church leadership
- Churchwardens
- Members of your Building Committee or Fundraising Committee
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
Bespoke Fundraising 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, with Matthew and Andrew from ChurchGrants - contact the Church Buildings Support Officer if you would like to arrange a call with the ChurchGrants Team.
Andrew Clark and Matthew Lagden will be delivering the sessions
- Andrew has been attending churches for nearly 40 years and has been a professional fundraiser for 15 years.
- He is one of the Directors of Church Grants as well as operating his own full-time church-focused fundraising consultancy Apostle.
- He is an expert in church capital fundraising appeal strategy and income generation, most notably from Trust & Foundations and major donors
- Matthew has been fundraising with churches for two decades with a particular interest and specialism in legacy and congregational giving.
- He is one of the Directors of Church Grants. He currently is the CEO of the Institute of Legacy Management and attends an Anglican church in Birmingham.
- He was previously the Director of Fundraising at St Paul's Cathedral in London and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.
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
Wenesday 5th 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:
Wednesday 5th 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
Wednesday 5th 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
