The Buildings for Mission Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants Fund is open to all churches in the Diocese of Truro who want to repair or improve their church building, to secure the fabric of the building, or to grow and support mission within the church.

There are two types of grants available:

  • small grants, up to £5000, and
  • large grants of £5,000 – £8,000.

Churches can apply for any repair or improvement works that meet the eligibility criteria. Where greater works are required, the Faye Edwardes, the Church Buildings Support Officer, will signpost and support applying for further funding. Faye said: “I am very optimistic about the difference we can make to Cornwall’s churches over the next few years. The national pilot project showed how much impact can be made to repairing and maintaining the fabric of church buildings when there is dedicated support and funding.”

The grants will be issued to support the deanery plan visions and will be managed by Faye, who will work closely with the applicant church, the DAC, the Change and Renewal team, and the Deanery Implementation Team (DIT).

This process does not in any way remove the requirement for the PCC to obtain faculty or approval under list B, as necessary, or any other necessary permission before the work goes ahead. The offer of a grant does not imply support for the proposal for the purposes of faculty.

The process is designed to be consultative and will involve various Church House teams. An independent panel has been formed and the panel will be able to approve, refer, or decline applications.

Faye added: “I have been overwhelmed by the support from church communities across Cornwall who are dedicated to looking after their church buildings to support both mission, and the community initiatives. Communities have such strong connection to their churches, whether they attend church themselves or not, and it is really encouraging to see people coming together to work out how they can look after and repair these precious community buildings.

“We know that churches now are host to concerts, school visits, messy church, food banks, and so much more. The Buildings for Mission funding will enable us to support more churches to help a wider range of people and communities for many years to come. That is the exciting part, not only are the churches hugely important to their communities, but they are also incredible examples of important historic heritage that we want to maintain and protect to be enjoyed by Cornish communities for future generations.”

You can find more information about the grants here or email funding@truro.anglican.org