Diocesan Funds
The Coventry Diocesan Board of Finance (CDBF) is the legal entity which manages the financial affairs and assets of the Diocese of Coventry. The CDBF has four funds to support Church of England parishes within the Diocese of Coventry. All the information and rules you need to know in order to apply for these grants can be found in the guidance document. If you have any questions, please contact our Governance and Grants Officer, Jo Hands via email: jo.hands@coventry.anglican.org or call 02476 521379, postal address: 7 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX.
• The Building Fund, which gives grants towards work on church buildings
• The Mission Fund, which gives grants to parishes, benefices or deaneries for new mission projects.
• The Net Zero Fund, which gives grants to parishes for improvements that demonstrate a reduction in carbon footprint.
• The Offa House Spirituality Capital Fund, which gives capital grants to parishes and deaneries to support the development of sustainable resources for retreat, reflection, reconciliation and enabling closer encounters with God and his creation.
There are six deadlines per year, always the 15th of the month: 15th January, March, May, July, September and November, except for the Net Zero Quick Win and Mission Mustard Seed which can be applied for all year round with no deadline. Applications early in the year are strongly encouraged.
Due to the grants review, the Church Fabric Fund will remain open in its current form until 31st December 2024. In order for an application to be considered before the fund closes please apply by Monday 9th December otherwise it may be transferred to the new Buildings Fund.
Net Zero Quick Win and Mission Mustard Seed applications are accepted all year round, during this transition period either the new or previous forms will be accepted. In order for an application to be considered in 2024 please apply by Monday 9th December 2024.
Other Funds
- Together for Change has a small grants scheme for community transformation projects
- The Buildings for Mission Fund, which gives grants to small repair or improvement projects up to £10k, and funded by the Church Commissioners for 2024-2025
Information about external funds
- The Parish Resources website has funding guides and lists of grant-making organisations which parishes can apply to
- The Churchcare website gives guidance on the major national funding bodies for works to church buildings, and on funds available from the national church
- The Warwickshire and Coventry Historic Churches Trust provides grants to historic churches across Coventry and Warwickshire
- The Allchurches Trust provide grants to churches of all demoninations
- Types of projects supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Heritage Lottery Fund, can be found on their websites
To reclaim VAT on some works to listed church buildings, you can contact the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Reports
Projects which are given grants from diocesan funds must report back. This is done so that:
- Stories from projects can be used to encourage other people
- Future applicants can learn from past successes and failures
- The committee can explain what the money given is used for
Report forms can be downloaded fromt he fund webpage, report form for grants approved pre 2025 can be downloaded here:
Diocesan Mission Fund DMF Report Form
Church Improvement Fund (CIF) Report Form
This form is a minimum requirement; please refer to your approval letter which confirms when report(s) on your project are due. We do encourage creative ways to report back on your project, so please feel free to submit updates in different formats, such as a video presentation.
