Allchurches Trust | What we fund

Our primary charitable object is to promote the Christian religion.

We only fund projects in the UK and Ireland, and we provide additional funding to Christian charities and churches working in the most disadvantaged areas through deprivation uplifts.

All applicants need to be a UK registered charity, church or have “exempt” status.

We like to fund projects that demonstrate an impact on people and communities. Applicants should include clear (and where possible, measurable) outcomes for projects and demonstrate how they will ensure sustainability beyond our funding. It’s also important to show how additional funding support will be sought to enable the project to be completed.

Our open grants normally fund capital projects and equipment, not salaries or running costs, with the exception of our transformational and Hope Beyond programmes. In most cases, we give a small percentage of the project cost as this enables us to say yes to more worthwhile causes, although we do occasionally give larger grants.

We give grants to churches of many denominations, so long as they are members of Churches Together in England (CTE), Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS), Churches Together in Wales (Cytun), the Irish Council of Churches or a local ‘churches together’ group. We also consider applications from Christian schools and colleges for capital projects.

Churches

Charities

Communities

We like to fund

When considering applications, the Trust considers how well the aims of the project align with our areas of funding focus. These are:

• The repair, restoration, protection and improvement of church buildings, cathedrals and other places of Christian worship, especially where those changes support wider community use (note we also offer a roof protection scheme);

• Equipping Christian charities and churches to help the most vulnerable and tackle social issues, including homelessness, poverty, climate change and cultural cohesion

• Projects that support church growth and Christian leaders, locally and nationally, spiritually and numerically, and share the Christian faith;

•Equipping Christian charities and churches to engage in innovative ways of working and in new and enhanced areas of activity that will best meet the existing and emerging challenges facing communities, e.g. Hope Beyond;

• Transformative projects that enable a step change in the capacity, reach and impact of Christian organisations, with a particular focus on innovation, partnership and sharing learnings and best practice to enable the widest possible impact and benefit;

• Building development projects that seek to enhance the mission and ministry of the Methodist Church in the UK and Ireland.

We don't normally fund

• Non-Christian charities

• Running costs (such as salaries and overheads)

• Overseas projects or charities

• Charities with a political association

• Individuals or causes that will benefit only one person, such as student grants or scholarships

• Healthcare projects, although hospices can apply for funding for chapel and chaplaincy space

• Animal welfare or rescue

• Work that is primarily the responsibility of statutory authorities including residential, respite, day care and housing provision

• Retrospective grants, although we may be prepared to consider applications for work already done which was urgent (such as essential emergency roof repairs) or for major capital projects (where work has started before all funding has been raised)

• More than one application from the same organisation within a 24-month period

• One-off events that benefit only a few people