There are a large number of sources of funding for charities during the pandemic. Visit the website for a comprehensive list that is updated every Monday. 

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This is offering grants from £10k to £3m to support re-opening. It is not for capital repairs, though it can include minor repairs/maintenance etc. needed for re-opening (i.e. pigeon netting to make entry to the building safe following the build-up of pigeon guano over lockdown).

The fund is administered by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Church of England was involved in consultations about the structure of the scheme, and the guidance has a specific section on places of worship.

Please note that this grant has a very tight timeframe for applications; you can apply from 7 January and applications close on 26 January.

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A list of eligible and ineligible costs can be found here.

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Ecclesiastical Insurance will be donating £1000 to 120 charities as part of their 12 days of giving initiative during the month of December. Nominations are now open and close at midnight the day before each draw. For more information, please visit the website.

A comprehensive list of grants and funding from bodies/organisations such as the European Union, UK Government Agencies, the Lottery and Grant Making Trusts & Foundations can be found on Grants Online. Information on the many schemes that are in operation can be found here.

'The National Lottery Covid-19 fund is welcoming applications from small and medium organisations to support their emergency response. The funds can cover salaries, activities, running costs associated with supporting people affected by Covid-19. Organisations are encouraged to apply as soon as they can as applications are already being processed. You can only apply for funds that will be spent in 6 months.

This fund is resourced entirely from government and has no connection to lottery ticket sales.  Groups who have avoided applying to the lottery because of the connection to gambling can be confident that the grant is entirely government money that the Lottery are distributing. This opens it up to any faith groups who don’t want to take gambling money.' 

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Provides two 'hubs': the Guidance Hub and the Funding Hub. The first containing up-to-date information on the coronavirus and it's impact on heritage and the second containing potential funding opportunities. Both documents are continuously updated, and churches are invited to access these resources to locate information that may be of relevance.

The Connexional Team have been liaising with the Charity Finance Group and the Churches Legislation Advisory Service who have been lobbying HMRC concerning the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme. Whilst the rules have not changed, HMRC have provided a helpful interpretation of the guidance that will assist many treasurers and gift aid secretaries. The HMRC response is as follows:

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“In respect of GASDS, guidance on the eligibility for donations for inclusion in this scheme is clear in stating that claims can only be made on cash donations of £30 or less; and contactless card donations of £30 or less collected on or after 6 April 2019. The decision over what constitutes an eligible donation is one for the church/charity to make for themselves, rather than for HMRC, but the conditions for something to be considered a ‘small donation’ are clearly set out in legislation. Where it is the case, for example, of separate donations being given in a single envelope, then if the church/charity official is happy these are clearly separate ‘small donations’ (and clearly stated as such) then they will be eligible for GASDS, as is the case where separate envelopes are used”.

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