If you are associated with a church in need of restoration or repair (of any denomination) we may be able to help.
We will consider helping any church, chapel or meeting house of any denomination belonging to Churches Together in Britain and Ireland which is open for worship. Unfortunately we cannot help closed churches or chapels.
Currently we offer:
Restoration and Repair Grants
Smaller Project Grants
Grants for a Hostile Climate
During 2023, we have allocated £10,000 for grants of £500 for general maintenance work or costs incurred in commencing major capital projects.
Summary of Conditions
Restoration and Repair Grants | Smaller Project Grants | Hostile Climate Grants – Maintenance | Hostile Climate Grants - Kickstart | |
Scheme Criteria | All improvement, beautification, upkeep, and reconstruction schemes. Prioritises roofs, rainwater goods, electrical and heating. | Small structural or emergency schemes that fall outside the scope of regular maintenance, work costing from £1,000 - £10,000 | One-off payment to assist with cost of inspection and clearance work. | One-off payment to assist with project start-up costs |
Eligibility | All open churches and chapels, part of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland | All open churches and chapels, part of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland | CHCT Church Friends | CHCT Church Friends |
Minimum Grant | £250 | £250 | £500 | £500 |
Maximum Grant (Church Friends) | £7,000 | £1,000 | £500 | £500 |
Maximum Grant (Other Churches) | £5,000 | £1,000- | - | - |
Timescale | Visit by assessor and consideration at next quarterly grants meeting. | Normally within a few days of receipt of application. | Normally within a few days of receipt of application. | Normally within a few days of receipt of application. |
Validity | Five years from date of offer. | One year from date of offer. | Limited period in 2023 | Limited period in 2023 |
Payable | Half on commencement, balance on completion. | In full, on completion. | Payable on receipt of invoice. | Payable on receipt of invoice. |
Major Exclusions | Organs, car parks, re-ordering, new-build kitchens/ toilets. | Non-structural or emergency work. Schemes over £10,000 | Not open to previous recipients of a CHCT Maintenance Inspection Grant. | - |
Restoration & Repair Grants
Have a look at Previous Grants Awarded to see the churches we have helped and the variety of projects we have supported. The process is very simple, and not time consuming. Download a grant application form; there are four to choose from depending on the denomination of your church (C of E, RC, Methodist, or Independent). Then fill in the form on your computer, and email it back to the Grants Secretary (his email details are on the form) as an attachment together with the supporting documentation requested.
Restoration & Repair Grants Criteria
Our Trust Deed states that our funds are applied for "the preservation and maintenance, improvement, upkeep, beautification and reconstruction of churches in Cornwall and of monuments, fittings, fixtures, stained glass, furniture, ornaments and chattels in churches and churchyards".
However, our resources are limited and therefore at present we prioritise our activities to structural work on roofs, rainwater goods, followed by electrical safety and heating systems.
As indicated above, we also support work on windows, monuments, paintings and clocks.
The Trust does not repair bells and organs, but it will help if the surrounding structure is involved. For example, often bell frames are an integral part of the tower, and we do consider helping with those.
We do not usually support new build kitchens and toilets, or re-ordering.
We do not provide funding for boundary walls unless they form part of the church building itself.
We do not fund car parks.
The minimum grant size is £250, the maximum is £5,000, or £7,000 for Church Friends (see below)
Process & Timescales
Once we have received the form, then arrangements will be made for your church to be visited, and a member of the Trust will discuss your project with you and see exactly what it is your church needs. The Trustees meet to consider Grants in early January, March, May and late September in each year. To be processed, Grant Applications should be submitted to the Grants Secretary by the 1st. December, 1st. March, 1st May and 1st September in each year.
If you have any questions, then please contact the Grants Secretary.
Application Forms for Repair & Restoration Grants
To download, click on the appropriate form below
Independent Churches or Chapels
Grants For Smaller Projects
This scheme covers smaller projects that fall outside the scope of regular maintenance. It is also designed to accommodate urgent repairs.
CHCT will offer grants of £1,000 or 25% of the cost of the scheme before VAT, whichever is less. The minimum grant size is £250. VAT may be reclaimable under the Listed Places of Worship (LPW) Grant Scheme.
The main criteria are:
The work MUST have been identified by QI report or report by regular maintenance contractor / builder;
Two quotes for the work must have been obtained;
Work costed between £1,000 and £10,000 before VAT
Confirmation that the work does not require a faculty or similar permission.
We will arrange for our committee member for your area or Deanery to contact you and to undertake a site inspection if necessary. You will receive a decision in a few days; it will not have to wait until the next scheduled grants meeting of the trustees. The full grant will be paid on completion of the work.
Work of this nature is unlikely to require a faculty, but you MUST consult with the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) or equivalent body for your denomination before proceeding. We will require evidence that you have done so before making any grant. Please note, the DAC has special arrangements for emergencies.
For further information contact the DAC Secretary, Mrs Sue Thorold on 01872 247216 or email
This scheme is similar to the National Churches Trust (NCT) Foundation Grant Programme, which encourages churches to act on small urgent maintenance issues.
We hope that this initiative will help churches address maintenance issues on the grounds that a ’stitch in time saves nine’.
To apply, download the CHCT Smaller Project Grant form here
Grant for a Hostile Climate - Maintenance and Kickstart Scheme for 2023
All churches are facing immense challenges that have only increased since the Pandemic. General uncertainty is resulting in essential maintenance work being delayed and the shelving of much needed capital schemes. In order to encourage churches to act sooner rather than later, we have set aside £10,000 for help with either routine maintenance or start-up costs incurred putting together major projects. Grants of up to £500 per church are available on a first come, first served basis. The Scheme will close when the funds have been allocated or on 31 December 2023, whichever is sooner. Participation in this scheme does not prevent churches from applying for other types of grant from CHCT.
Maintenance Grants
Church surveyors, church Quinquennial inspectors and DACs are unanimous that identifying loose slates, inspection and clearance of gutters, valleys, roofs and rainwater goods reap significant financial benefits and provide reassurance to hard-pressed PCCs. During times of financial restraint there is a temptation to reduce regular maintenance but this only leads to greater problems in the long term as minor defects soon turn into major structural and funding challenges.
CHCT is offering a one-off payment of £500 to cover the cost of inspection and clearance work as well as any remedial work that can be undertaken taken at the same time.
If you wish to apply, please return the application form (here), and send it to the Grants Secretary, together with the receipted invoice(s) from your contractor and a copy of a recent statement for the relevant church bank account.
Kickstart Grants
We know that some churches wish to undertake major projects that require a considerable amount of work before the fund raising process can start. Usually this involves professional advice and reports, making taking the first step even more daunting, especially when there are very limited resources available.
In order to help overcome this hurdle, CHCT is offering a payment of £500 to help with project start-up costs such as surveys and feasibility studies.
Your proposed project must meet our normal grant criteria; you should have received outline support from the DAC or equivalent body. If you would like to apply, please complete the application form (here) and send it to the Grants Secretary, together with a receipted invoice and a copy of a recent statement for the relevant church bank account.
General Conditions for Maintenance and Kickstart Grants
Eligibility is restricted to Church Friends of CHCT.
The Scheme can be withdrawn at any time, without notice.
Each church can only apply once for one of the grants described above.
Churches that have received Maintenance Inspection grants in the past are not eligible to apply for the Maintenance grants in this scheme.
We reserve the right to refuse applications that do not meet our criteria.
Please note, costs incurred in engaging a professional fund raiser are not eligible.
Retrospective applications for Kickstart grants will not be accepted.
Church Friend membership – a Church Friend applying for a grant has the benefit of a maximum possible offer increased from £5,000 to £7,000 as well as being directed to other grant funding bodies which have helped with similar projects. We very much hope that every church in the Duchy will become a Friend, the current cost being £50 per annum. Contact our membership secretary for more information
Other useful information
Major grant giving organisations include:
The National Churches Trust: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/our-grants
Historic England: https://historicengland.org.uk
ChurchCare: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare
THE NICK CAHILL AWARD
The Truro Diocese Advisory Committee and Cornwall Council are inviting entries for a new award established in memory of our friend and esteemed colleague Nick Cahill. Nick was a hugely influential and highly respected member of the heritage community, a scholar and authority who was unfailingly generous in sharing his wealth of knowledge and expert opinion. His expertise left no corner of Cornwall or aspect of our heritage and historic environment forgotten. The award reflects his passion for churches and chapels.
The Nick Cahill Award will recognise excellence in design and craftsmanship in restoration or improvement projects involving ecclesiastical buildings. It will consider both exciting design interventions and more modest conservation, restoration or modernisation projects in ecclesiastical buildings and churchyards across all faiths and denominations.
The Award has been established will the full support of Mary and Joe Cahill.
The award is open to projects involving ecclesiastical buildings and their setting and associations (graveyards, cemetery buildings, Sunday schools) of all faiths and denominations. The award criteria will be deliberately wide-ranging, and we will encourage entries across diverse areas of work including, but not exclusively:
• Historic fabric restoration or conservation involving traditional craftsmanship
• Re-ordering schemes, extensions or additions to buildings
• Environmental improvements including renewable energy and habitat creation
• Accessibility improvements
• Community volunteering, training and skills development in conservation or preservation
• Newly commissioned artwork or installations
The current list of approved Architects and Surveyors and other advice on repair, restoration, maintenance and updating of your church can be found on the Truro Diocese website.
The Truro Diocese held a web seminar recently with advice from for parishes on how to present their applications for grant funding. The presentations can be found here: Church Grants & Funds Archives - Truro Diocese : Truro Diocese
Anglican churches in the Diocese have free access to Church Grants see https://truro.churchgrants.co.uk (contact for your membership code). For churches from all other denominations it’s £49 a year.

Latest Grants Awarded

November 2022
St Sampson South Hill
Repairs to South Porch £1,000
December 2022
Laneast
Repairs to south door jamb £380
January 2023
St Clarus, St Cleer
To replace and augment the existing ring of bells from 6 to 8, retuning and repairs to frames £6,300
The National Churches Trust
The National Churches Trust support places of worship from all Christian denominations across the country through funding, advice and other initiatives. They currently offer grants for between £500 - £50,000 to help maintain, repair and update buildings.
You can find out more by visiting their website:
Restoration News
Marazion Meeting House Reopens

The Marazion Quakers held an Open Day on 2nd July 2022 to celebrate completion of the long and complex process of restoring their three-hundred-year-old Meeting House, the oldest public building in Marazion.
We were delighted to join the Friends to view the result for which the CHCT awarded a grant of £4,000 towards the new roof and air source heat pump underfloor heating system in June 2021.
Additional work was required when it was discovered that the floor joists were rotten and the wooden floor has been replaced with hemlock pine boards made from salvaged beams. The result is magnificent!
A short history of the Marazion Meeting House can be found here.
St Andrew’s, Stratton chancel roof repair begins

We are delighted to report that work is well underway to repair the chancel roof at St Andrew’s Stratton for which the CHCT pledged a grant of £3,000 in September 2021.
Everyone should be involved in a church restoration project at some time in their life

Those words were recently said to me by someone who contacted us to make a donation a few years ago and is now immersed in St Sampson’s Unlocked, the half a million-pound restoration project at St Sampson’s Church, South Hill, Cornwall. The more I thought about his words the more I realised what a profound statement this was.
A church restoration makes you realise the importance of things, temporal and spiritual. It makes you think about the faith of others and your own faith. It draws you into something deeper than bricks and mortar. It gives a sense of your place in history and the continuation of history. It provides a timeless stabilising effect on the fast pace of modern life. It makes you see the scope and size of a project which sounds so simple on the outside but is complicated and involves layers of expertise. It is a slow process. It demands working and praying with others. Part of the joy of being a Christian is having hope for the future and serving others.
Being involved in a restoration project brings many opportunities, joys and challenges. It quite literally can change your life! There are discoveries to be made, skills to be learnt, people to get to know and never-ending excitement.