GRANTS up to £50,000 are being made available for churches and Christian charities to adapt to the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 crisis.
The fund has been launched by the Allchurches Trust, which makes charitable grants to the church and the Christian community with income derived from Ecclesiastical Insurance.
Allchurches Trust is making the funding available for “innovative, impactful projects that will enable people, organisations and communities to flourish in life after lockdown, build resilience and encourage hope”.
Projects that address at least one of the following three key themes are eligible:
• Projects responding to the issues of loneliness and isolation exacerbated by the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic where new and/or enhanced support is being proposed. This could include enabling improved accessibility to buildings/activities and measures to ensure buildings are coronavirus/COVID-19 safe.
• Projects focused on growing community resilience and promoting mental and emotional health and wellbeing, including the provision of mental health and wellbeing support groups and 1:1 counselling for people of all ages (including clergy).
• Projects focused on growing technological capability and resilience, particularly increasing digital capacity and provision, and supporting those without online access to get online through training and support.
The grants are to be used to implement new ways of working and introduce new and/or enhanced support and activities to meet changing need as a direct response to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
The grants can cover:
• Capital costs, such as adaptation of buildings and the purchase of equipment.
• Project-related salaries and some other revenue costs (to the end of 2021), such as training of staff and/or volunteers, hire of buildings and/or equipment, and promotion and marketing of new activities.
For further information about the Allchurches Trust fund log click here.
ACAT is currently working with our Partner in Ministry GRANTfinder to identify relevant new funding streams for churches.
Matt Godfrey, Account Manager (Grants UK) at GRANTfinder, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with ACAT to help identify potential funding for church treasurers nationally.
“In the coming months, we hope to identify further opportunities that have the potential to help churches during this very difficult period.”
GRANTfinder supports communities through the effective identification of funding opportunities as well as the subsequent application process.
For more information about GRANTfinder click here.
