Grants
Through the work of the Bishop of Lincoln, a range of grants are available to be applied for by individuals, parishes, schools, Parish Partnerships, Local Mission Partnerships and church organisations across the Diocese of Lincoln.
These grants are made to advance wellbeing, to encourage local projects that support a strategy for growth, particularly where there is insufficient local income or reserves to pay for them.
We are delighted that this diocese has been awarded £207,000 from the Archbishops’ Council, as part of the national ‘Buildings for Mission’ Project.
This will fund the Minor Repair and Improvement Grant, enabling small-scale repairs and improvements to churches, with the main focus being on essential fabric repairs.
The proposed repairs should be mentioned in the current Quinquennial Inspection Report.
The project cannot cost more than £10,000 (excluding VAT, which can be reclaimed in most circumstances) and grants cannot be used as match funding for a bigger project.
Grants will be paid on a scale between 50% and 90% (or more in exceptional circumstances) of project costs, depending on the Index of Multiple Deprivation Score.
Once we have received your application, it will go before a grant panel that will meet quarterly for approval.
You will then be informed whether you will receive a grant or not.
Deadlines
The deadline for applications in 2024 is Sunday 1 December.
The funding must be spent by December 2025.
How to apply
Get in touch with the Church Buildings Team to discuss your projects and to request an application pack via: churchbuildings.team@lincoln.anglican.org
Apply for new grants to help reduce energy consumption and cut your carbon footprint!
The Church of England Environment Programme has generously provided the Diocese of Lincoln with over £65k to distribute to our churches.
The fund we could give to your church would support small and quick actions that reduce energy and cut your carbon footprint.
We’re giving away up to £3000 (and in exceptional circumstances up to £10,000).
Start a project to care for creation
These grants will help your parishes on its journey to Net Zero Carbon, with a focus on reducing the energy footprint of buildings such as churches, offices, and halls.
Projects could include:
- Changing lightbulbs to LED
- Making sure your rainwater goods are working to redirect water away from your building
- Doing small things that make your heating more efficient
Recommendations to strengthen your application:
In the meantime, start preparing for your application with these first steps:
Perhaps you would like to explore becoming an Eco Church.
Complete your Energy Footprint Tool data for the church buildings. We’ve even created a simple guide for you.
Download and complete the Practical Pathway to Net Zero Carbon to generate a carbon reduction plan. This is especially so if you do not already have a church decarbonisation plan.
How to apply
The application pack will be available soon for a first round of grants this summer. To register your interest, please email churchbuildings.team@lincoln.anglican.org
This fund provides grants for missional initiatives or significantly developing projects that will transform lives across Greater Lincolnshire. There are two levels of grants: Tier 1 (max £500), and Tier 2 (£501 – max £20,000). Applications can come from churches, parishes, benefices, deaneries or church-affiliated and ecumenical groups connected to the diocese.
The fund supports missional projects, in line with diocesan priority areas:
- Worship: growing the number of people worshiping Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour
- Discipleship: growing the depth of Christian faith and spirituality, learning to be followers of Jesus Christ and become more like him
- Service: growing in serving the church and local community.
Priority will be given to projects which align with the Anglican Communion’s Five Marks of Mission https://www.anglicancommunion.org/mission/marks-of-mission.aspx and:
- develop and grow our mission, ministry and discipleship, lay and ordained
- strengthen local partnerships to allow missional developments to flourish
- help with administration and governance, such as by developing communication and improving technology
The Transformation Fund application process is also a gateway to additional missional trust funds. Their charitable objectives cover the area of the Diocese of Lincoln and are focussed on:
- Church activity with children, young people, families, their mental health and wellbeing
- Wider church projects for people in areas of income deprivation offering employment, or training and preparing for employment
- Ecumenical projects serving communities with a focus on social justice
- Christian Youth Organisations in Lincoln – particularly uniformed groups,
- Religious, charitable or educational purposes, particularly spiritual, intellectual, moral, social or physical needs
Tier 1 and 2 applications will:
- promote growth
- be prayerfully considered
- be researched and evidence-based
- encourage parishes to take considered risks
- be well thought out
- demonstrate good stewardship
- lead to transformation.
NB the Transformation Fund does not fund building projects or repairs.
Tier 1 Grants
Tier 1 grants cover up to £500
This tier is designed to help churches quickly progress their ideas. Applications can be submitted at any time of the year to: transformation.fund@lincoln.angican.org.
Tier 2 Grants
Tier 2 grants cover from £501 to a maximum of £20,000 within any one year.
If you are planning a Tier 2 application, contact the Transformation Fund Officer early in your thinking. Continuation funding on a sliding scale into future years (max 3 years) can be considered. The application requires prayerful consideration and significant preparation.
Deadlines
The closing dates for 2025 applications are:
- 24th February for a panel meeting on the 10th March 2025
- 23rd May for a panel meeting on the 9th June 2025
- 1st September for a panel meeting on the 15th September 2025
- 22nd November for a panel meeting on the 8th December 2025
How to apply (Tier 1)
How to apply (Tier 2)
This fund was set up in 2014 in partnership between the Diocese of Lincoln and the Lincolnshire Community Foundation.
The Fund is to help voluntary and community groups across Greater Lincolnshire aim to address the root causes of social injustice and to tackle issues such as poverty, loneliness, isolation and homelessness.
Grants are offered up to a maximum of £2500.
How to apply
Visit the Lincolnshire Community Foundation website for more information about applying.
The purpose of the Quarry trust is to make grants which are for religious, charitable or educational activities and projects, particularly addressing spiritual, intellectual, moral, social or physical needs primarily within the Church of England across Greater Lincolnshire.
How to apply
Enquiries to: bishops.chaplain@lincoln.anglican.org
The Diocese of Lincoln holds trust funds which make small grants to necessitous clergy and their dependents to relieve financial need, hardship or distress.
These grants are accessed through contacting the Bishops’ Chaplain in the first instance and are allocated at the trustees’ discretion.
Further resources and grants supporting clergy wellbeing can be found here.
How to apply
Enquiries to bishops.chaplain@lincoln.anglican.org
The Diocese of Lincoln holds trust funds which make small grants to necessitous retired clergy and their widows to relieve financial need, hardship or distress.
How to apply
Application forms and assessments can be accessed through contacting the Retired Clergy and Clergy Widows Officer via bishops.chaplain@lincoln.anglican.org
Children deserve the basic essentials that they need to be able to learn and thrive. The Ready For School fund supports schoolchildren who are lacking the things they need, such as books, uniform and stationary, in order to be fully present and fully included in school work and play.
Head teachers use the funding so that they can get Items for children which might include: revision booklets, coats, school uniform or PE kit, lunchboxes, cookery ingredients or art or maths equipment.
The fund is guided by an awareness of the effect on a child of being unable to participate in school activities alongside their peers because of belonging to a family living in poverty.
Our prayer is that funds will continue to meet the very real social needs in our schools and witness to the generosity of God through His people.
The ‘Ready for School Fund’ is:
- for small grants of no more than around £100 for individual children
- not to be used for such things as could reasonably be expected to come out of the pupil premium grant
- administered by the Diocesan Secretary, the Diocesan Director of Education and the Vice Chair (clergy) of the Diocesan Board of Education.
How to donate
Every single donation makes a difference to a child’s quality of education in Lincolnshire. We urgently need additional funds to make sure every child has an opportunity to thrive. Please donate to the cause – thank you:
How to apply
Applications must be on forms downloadable from the Board of Education website.
For further details contact: education@lincoln.anglican.org