Applications closed on 2 October 2026.

Many funders run the same grant every year, so check the funder’s site for a new round. The details below are what the funder published when it was open.

Historic England

Places of Worship Renewal Fund

A £92m, four-year DCMS-funded capital programme run by Historic England for urgent repairs and essential improvements to listed (Grade I, II* or II) places of worship of any faith in England that are still active. Grants run from £10,000 to £1,000,000 in three streams (small up to £50,000, medium to £350,000, large to £1m), with priority for the most deprived areas (IMD deciles 1-3 and Community Needs Index areas). It is a two-stage process: an expression of interest in a set window, then a full application by invitation. Round 2 EOIs close at 5pm on 2 October 2026.

Check the funder’s site

Open grants like this

Grants you can apply for now, for the same kind of work or place.

You could get: £10,000 – £1,000,000
Deadline: Closed; the deadline has passed
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Any listed place of worship in England (Grade I, II* or II), of any faith or denomination, applied for by the organisation with legal authority to carry out the works (for example the congregation's charity, trustees or parochial church council)
The building must be an active place of worship: used for worship at least 6 times a year, or owned by a charity that cares for historic places of worship (such as the Churches Conservation Trust or Friends of Friendless Churches) and open to the public at least 6 times a year
It must still be a dedicated place of worship (not fully converted to another use); listed buildings not originally built for worship but now used as one qualify
England only
No income limit is stated
Each building needs its own application and only one PWRF project per building can run at a time
Priority goes to buildings in or serving IMD deciles 1-3 (especially also in Community Needs Index areas), then to those with the greatest financial need, urgency and community benefit

What it funds

Capital works that keep listed places of worship safe, open and in public use: urgent fabric repairs (roofs, masonry, timber, drainage) and repair and preservation work, including professional fees and surveys, non-recoverable VAT and insurance. Minor repairs can be applied for on their own in the small-grants stream (up to £50,000). As part of a larger PWRF repair project only:

Essential improvements such as electrical upgrades, heating, toilets and step-free access
Resilience works such as loft hatches or better rainwater goods
Project development costs (surveys, investigations, feasibility, audits)
Adaptive reuse and accessibility adaptations
Heritage interpretation panels

You can apply for a discrete package of works within a bigger programme.

Around 20% match funding is normally expected, but up to 100% may be considered for smaller congregations or deprived areas.

What it will not fund

Projects under £10,000
Places of worship that are not listed (including locally listed or unlisted buildings in conservation areas)
Places of worship used for worship or open to the public fewer than 6 times a year
Project development work that is not part of a larger capital repair application
Adaptations or improvements that are not part of a larger capital repair application
Routine maintenance such as gutter clearance
Day-to-day revenue costs such as gas and electricity bills
Staff costs, unless essential project roles that would otherwise be filled by external professionals or contractors
Community programmes
Conservation of fixtures and fittings (e.g. organs, bells) unless an essential part of a wider capital repair application
Works already started or completed (except the Year 1 transitional route for projects that lost match funding)
Other Historic England grants, or AHF Heritage Revival Fund grants for the same works, used as match funding

How to apply

Check the fund requirements (priorities, objectives and criteria) on Historic England's PWRF page and confirm the building is listed and active
Create or log in to a Historic England user account
Complete the online expression of interest (about 30 minutes), describing how the project meets the fund requirements, rough costs, timing and VAT position, and upload supporting documents
Submit the EOI by 5pm on Friday 2 October 2026 (Round 2)
Historic England will tell you by Monday 26 October 2026 whether you are invited to make a full application
If invited, submit the full application by 5pm on Wednesday 18 November 2026
If awarded, sign a grant agreement and follow Historic England's procurement and grant conditions

EOIs are only accepted within set windows; two rounds a year are expected in years 1-3 and one in year 4 (fund runs to 31 March 2030). If your project is not developed enough, you can apply in a later round.

Year 1 transitional route: projects that began on or after 1 October 2025 and lost anticipated match funding can apply for £10,000-£50,000 by emailing PWRF@HistoricEngland.org.uk for a separate form, deadline 31 December 2026.

Contact your local Historic England office if you are unsure whether you are ready to submit an EOI.

Have ready

Confirmation from your relevant religious body that it supports the project and (where applicable) is likely to approve any consents or permissions required
Latest condition survey, quinquennial inspection or equivalent showing the need and urgency of the works (where available)

Up to 3 files can be uploaded with the EOI; more detailed information is requested at full application stage.