GrantRadar

Church of England (Church Buildings Council), with The National Lottery Heritage Fund and partners

Conservation grants for historic church interiors and churchyard structures

Grants of up to £10,000 for Anglican parish churches in England to conserve significant historic objects: bells, books and manuscripts, church plate, listed churchyard structures, clocks, monumental brasses and metalwork, monuments, organs, paintings and wall paintings, stained glass, textiles and woodwork. Most object types have a 26 October 2026 deadline, with decisions on 11 December 2026. The grants are funded mainly by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with the Radcliffe Trust, Oswald Allen Bequest, Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Gunnis Fund and Anglican Parish Churches Fund.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £10,000
Closes in
8 days left
26 October
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Anglican (Church of England) parish churches in England, applying for the conservation of objects of recognised significance in or around the church
  • For churchyard structures, the churchyard must be the responsibility of the Parochial Church Council and the structure must be listed separately from the church
  • Books, brasses, monuments, paintings, stained glass, textiles and wooden objects must be conserved by ICON-accredited conservators (or conservators on the pathway to accreditation); for churchyard structures, ICON-accredited conservators are strongly preferred
  • Stained glass grants are for open churches
  • A church that has received a direct National Lottery Heritage Fund grant is not eligible for this programme
  • All funded work needs a faculty, though not at the time of application

What it funds

Conservation of objects of historical, artistic, architectural or archaeological significance in Anglican parish churches in England, by object type. Deadline 26 Oct 2026, decision 11 Dec 2026:

  • Books, manuscripts and parochial libraries (including conservation-grade storage and display furniture)
  • Church plate (repair, with the Goldsmiths' Company)
  • Individually listed churchyard structures such as tombs, monuments, grave markers, walls, railings and gates, where the churchyard is the PCC's responsibility
  • Monumental brasses and decorative metalwork (including re-mounting brasses)
  • Monuments
  • Textiles
  • Woodwork and wooden objects such as reredoses, screens, pulpits and pews

Other object types have different rounds: organs (deadline 5 Oct 2026, organs over 70 years old or significant later instruments); stained glass (24 Aug 2026 round passed); clocks (14 Sep 2026 round passed); bells and paintings/wall paintings (2027, dates TBC).

Minor fabric-repair grants are available only for repairs directly related to a funded conservation project.

Preliminary investigations such as conservation reports are also funded, usually at around 60-70% of cost; main conservation grants have covered around 10-50% of costs.

What it will not fund

  • Work started before the grant decision is notified
  • Routine maintenance
  • Works of a cosmetic nature only (e.g. cleaning)
  • Churches that have received a direct grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the project
  • Churchyard structures in closed churchyards that are the local authority's responsibility
  • Churchyard structures not listed separately from the church building
  • Speculative work (organs, paintings)
  • The uncovering of wall paintings
  • Organ schemes that change the original design, move it further from its original tonal scheme, mechanism or wind system, or replace parts with non-traditional materials
  • Stained glass: architectural frames (e.g. masonry repairs) or protective grilles
  • Bells: tuning of significant bells, maintenance such as replacing ropes, and bells or frames of low significance
  • Clocks: dial-only work or auto-winding and regulators where no other work is involved
  • General fabric repairs (only repairs directly related to a funded conservation project)

How to apply

  1. Check the eligibility criteria for your object type on the page, and discuss the project with the Church Buildings Council team if unsure
  2. Consult your Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) early, since all funded work needs a faculty before it starts
  3. Commission a conservation report (an organ builder's report for organs) and gather the supporting documents
  4. Apply online through the Church of England conservation grants application form (c-of-e-applications.org.uk) by the deadline for your object type

Three quotes are not required, but 'best value' must be shown under the Conservation Grants Programme Procurement Policy. If the project includes fabric repairs, say so on the form.

Grants must be claimed within two years, with the contractor's invoices and a post-conservation report with images. NLHF support must be acknowledged.

Have ready

  • Conservation report (organ builder's report for organs)
  • Statements of significance and needs, including the object's significance
  • Latest quinquennial inspection report
  • Statement of the church's most recent annual audited accounts

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