The Bishop Radford Trust

Bishop Radford Trust Prison Grants

One-off 'impact' grants of up to £2,000 for churches that do effective prison work, either inside a prison or supporting people beyond the gates. The Bishop Radford Trust is a Christian grant maker that wants to help churches engage more with their local prison. You apply through its general Foundation Grant route, which opens for short quarterly windows. The next window opens on Monday 12 October 2026 at 10am and closes once the quarter's £75,000 budget is used up, usually within two or three days.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Up to £2,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

Churches involved in effective prison work, either in prison or with support beyond the gates
The Trust's general rules also apply: it funds Christian activity through churches and UK-registered Christian charities, and the eligibility quiz asks if you are 'a UK registered Christian charity or church with at least 1 year of accounts on the Charity Commission'
You must have a UK bank account and an income under £1.5 million, and you must not have had a grant from the Trust in the last five years
The Trustees favour smaller churches and charities and prioritise work in areas of high deprivation (using the IMD)
Applications prepared with a fundraising consultant must declare it, and these are capped at 20% of applications each tax year
If you are approved, you must provide your safeguarding policy

What it funds

Churches' prison work, either in prison or with support beyond the gates, to help churches increase engagement with their local prison
New projects that have not been funded by the Trust in the last five years
Core running costs (the Trust says it does fund core costs)

What it will not fund

Building/capital projects, including renovation and restoration works, boilers, organs and stained glass
Non-UK registered charities
Charities that do not have a UK bank account
Charities that do not have a Christian ethos and Christian ministry in their charitable objectives
Individuals
Activities that have already taken place (retro-funding)
Pilot schemes, unless the charity has been funded by the Trust before or is known to the Trustees
Charities that have not yet filed at least one set of accounts with the Charity Commission
Charities with an income of £1.5 million or more
Organisations that have received a grant from the Trust in the last five years
Advocacy, campaigning and lobbying work (not usually supported)

How to apply

Check the Trust's homepage for the next opening date. The next window opens on Monday 12 October 2026 (then Monday 8 February 2027).
When applications are open (10am to 6pm each day), take the online eligibility quiz. If you are eligible, you are given access to the Foundation Grant application form at the end
Complete the online form: organisation details, project outline and who will oversee it, location and postcode, budget (total cost, amount secured, amount asked), reserves, cost breakdown, timescale, intended impacts and how you will measure them, and policy questions (safeguarding, environment, diversity and inclusion)
Applications are reviewed by the office team; the Trust aims to respond within eight weeks of applications closing
If approved, sign a Grant Agreement Form, provide your safeguarding policy and bank details (payment is by bank transfer only)
Return the Grant Impact Form when the activity is complete or within 12 months, whichever is first

applications close as soon as the quarterly budget (£75,000, about 35 grants) is reached, normally within two to three days, so apply early. Applications sent by email are not accepted.

a sample application form (Word) is on the Trust's How to Apply page so you can prepare answers in advance.

small churches with income under £100K that have not applied before can sign up on the homepage for a reminder when applications open.

Have ready

Budget breakdown for the project (costs, amount requested, money raised so far and other potential income)

after approval you must provide your safeguarding policy, bank details and a signed Grant Agreement Form

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