Lots of external funding awards are targeted at community projects, so it is important to think about what your church already does, what it can do and the facilities that are not currently available in your local community. This could be anything from providing creche facilities to youth clubs, art/music classes to sports and social facilities.

The following links should provide useful initial suggestions for potential sources of funding. You will find more sources through your own research and by making use of some of the free sources of funding advice available locally to you.

The Joseph Rank Trust

The Joseph Rank Trust is an independent grant making trust which has a fund for supporting Methodism. Applications to The Joseph Rank Trust should be made via the District Synod Secretary. Further information on making an application can be found here: www.ranktrust.org

Landfill Communities Fund

Government funding

The Government Funding website provides a funding search facility for community and voluntary organisations: www.governmentfunding.org.uk

Regional funding

There are many individual tiers of local authorities, from County Councils to Village Councils, and there may be grants available from them which could support your project. It is always with checking their website for information.

If your church is in rural England, then you may be eligible for funding from your local Rural Community Council (RCC) or similar organisation. These organisations provide valuable guidance and support for projects in rural areas and have often already identified needs within rural communities. You can therefore use their research information as proof of the community need for your project when applying to external funders.

ACRE (Action for Communities in Rural England) is the umbrella organisation for the RCC's and the ACRE website has links to all their websites: www.acre.org.uk

Trust funding

There are about 7,500 grant-making trusts and foundations in the UK, giving around 2 billion in grants each year to charitable causes. About 70 per cent of trusts and foundations give in the health and social welfare fields, included to causes related to religion.

Trusts’ and foundations’ income comes from an endowment. The interest made is given out in grants. Foundations, in order to carry on in their grant-making and maximise the amount of money they give away, invest some proportion of their undistributed assets. There is no income tax to be paid to the government and in return, trusts can only fund charitable causes. Consequently, they often only give to or via a registered charity or to organisations which are accepted as charitable e.g. churches. In case the annual income of your church is over £100K you may still need to register your church with the Charity Commission in order to be considered for Trust funding.