Commitment for Life grants

Commitment for Life grants of up to £1,000 are available to churches or organisations supporting projects that cover the issues of:

• global justice
• climate change
• gender equality
• economic and social justice

Apply for a grant

Download and complete the application form below, which includes the criteria for funding, and email it to commitmentforlife@urc.org.uk or post it to:

Commitment for Life
The United Reformed Church
86 Tavistock Place
London
WC1H 9RT

Mission Enabling Fund

The United Reformed Church is a Multicultural Church engaging in Mission in the world and working to become an anti-racist church. Through the Mission Enabling Fund we aim to give some financial support to Mission projects.

Who can apply?

There are two categories of grants available from the Mission Enabling Fund:����

 

1. Special project grants

• These can be applied for by any local United Reformed Church.
• A grant may be used for a one-off Mission Project for example, starting a Church Holiday Club, helping fund a local week of Mission etc.
• A maximum of £1,000 may be applied for. ��

2. Three-year developmental grants for mission projects/organisations

• These can be applied for by any local United Reformed Church, Synod, or wider Mission Organisation.
• A grant may be used for a longer-term project or programme.
• A maximum of £6,000 over three years (i.e. £2,000 per year) may be applied for.

Criteria and process

Applicants are required to fill in the following application form. Applications should pay particular attention to:

• Providing a brief description of the project and its impact.
• Addressing one or more of the priorities for mission
• Demonstrating an element of collaboration or partnership.
• Indicating what other sources of funding or voluntary/in-kind support are available for the project.

Please note:

• A local church, synod or mission organisation may only apply for a grant once per year.
• If the same church, synod or organisation applies again in a following year, it must be for a different project.
• The project applied for must take place after the closing date for application.
• Any organisation or church or project currently receiving URC Legacy funding will not be eligible for a grant from the Mission Enabling Fund.

Expectations

The Mission Committee of the United Reformed Church will expect to receive a written evaluation report of the Mission Project and how the funding was used.

Special project grants: a final evaluation report must be received no later than 6 months after the grant is given.

Developmental grants: a report must be received at the end of each year (the following year’s funding will not be released until this is received) and a final evaluation report must be received no later than 6 months after the project has ended.

Priorities for mission

��Spirituality and prayer

We will grow in our practice of prayer and spirituality, nurturing strength for our witness to Jesus Christ, and developing our discernment of where God is and what God is calling us to do by reading and studying the Bible and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Identity

The URC will be a Church where every local congregation will be able to say who they are, what they do and why they do it

Christian Ecumenical Partnerships

We will be more confident in our identity, valuing the treasures of our tradition, discerning when to seek ecumenical partnerships, and when and how to seek the further unity of the Church

Community partnerships

We will be a Church that is more active in the life of local neighbourhoods.

Hospitality and diversity

We will be a Church committed to becoming even more welcoming and hospitable, and embracing all people equally.

Evangelism

We will be more confident to engage in evangelism, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God with friends, families and strangers, through story and action

Church growth

We will be a growing Church with an increasing membership.

Global partnerships

We will be a Church that is an active partner in God’s global mission with other Churches around the world

Justice and peace

We will be a Church committed to peacemaking and reconciliation that keeps faith with the poor and challenges injustice

The integrity of creation

We will be a Church that has taken significant steps to safeguard the integrity of creation, to sustain and renew the life of the earth.

How to apply for the fund

Download�� and complete the Mission Enabling Fund application form below:

• Mission Enabling Fund application form (Word | 36kb)

Completed applications should be emailed to mission@urc.org.uk

Applications will be considered within 28 days of receipt, and applicants will be informed by email of decisions made.

Grants & funding opportunities

Find out about the grants and funding opportunities the URC offers churches, community groups and individuals

Interfaith Fund

The Interfaith Fund (originally known as the ‘Jewish Fund’) was established to support Jewish/Christian relations in the East End of London. Many URC ministers and members have benefitted from the fund to support visits to Israel/Palestine. During 2016, work was done by the URC Trust and with the Charity Commissioners to bring the fund up to date, recognising that the interfaith environment is now very different. As a result, the remit of the fund was expanded, with the following aim: “The promotion of contact, understanding and respect among Christians, Jews and members of other faith communities, in ways consonant with the beliefs and practices of the United Reformed Church”.

Applications

Groups and individuals who may apply to the fund are:

• Individual churches seeking to promote contact, understanding and respect among Christians, Jews and members of other faith communities in their own local community
• Ministers of Word and Sacraments, Church Related Community Workers, and others in leadership of local URC churches who are seeking support for personal study and reflection that will facilitate the promotion of contact, understanding and respect among Christians, Jews and members of other faith communities, particularly in their local area.
• Organisations that have links to United Reformed Churches working in their local communities to promote contact, understanding and respect among Christians, Jews and members of other faith communities, in ways consonant with the beliefs and practices of the United Reformed Church.
• National organisations where the United Reformed Church has representation and which are seeking to promote contact, understanding and respect among Christians, Jews and members of other faith communities, in ways consonant with the beliefs and practices of the United Reformed Church.
• Exceptionally, consideration will be given to applications received from global or regional Christian organisations on which the United Reformed Church has representation.

Please email��Carole Sired��for an application form.

Grants & funding opportunities

Find out about the grants and funding opportunities the URC offers churches, community groups and individuals

Children & Youth work grants

Our small grants fund is one way that the Children’s and Youth Work Committee supports activities and experiences for children and youth as well as the training of existing and potential children and youth workers.

This year, to help churches resume or start up activities for children, a grant of either £50 or £100 is also available to support churches running holiday clubs.

 

Grants & funding opportunities

Find out about the grants and funding opportunities the URC offers churches, community groups and individuals

Community funding opportunities

Organisations offering funding and grants for community work.

The Gateway Grant Programme from FaithAction offers grants of between £3,000 and £10,000 towards project development and investigative work up to RIBA planning stage 1 to support churches preparing for a major project, and in developing their project to the point at which they can approach a major grant funder. Grants will never exceed 50% of the project costs for this phase.

This fund make grants of over £10,000 for up to five years to organisations with ideas that would enable communities to thrive. The initial application involves the idea only. Salaries, equipment, refurbishment and capital costs can all be funded. There are no deadlines.

The Trustees make discretionary grants where they believe that their contribution will make a real difference. Applications are welcome from eligible applicants from all areas of the UK although applications from Bedfordshire generally, and Luton specifically, are particularly encouraged.

A small funding stream for UK registered charities and recognised churches which are raising money for projects where the total cost is less than £1 million. If you are raising money for a particular project for which the mainstay is capital costs (building work, refurbishment or the purchase of long-term equipment) or a one-off short-term activity (such as an annual respite break or holiday for disadvantaged young people) and have already raised a third of the total costs, you may be eligible for this.

One the of UK’s largest charitable trusts and is the charitable owner of the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group. Over the past three years, the Benefact Trust��has given £34.6 million in grants. Last year it gave grants totaling more than £13 million to charities and church groups all over the UK and Eire, empowering them to tackle homelessness, isolation, poverty, addiction and issues of mental health. It also helped restore historic buildings and develop projects in schools, colleges, hostels and prisons.

is��an innovative, user-friendly new search portal designed to make it easy for charity and volunteer organisations to find and obtain essential funding

provides a list of possible sources of alternative funding and support for charities, Christian organisations, churches and community projects.

Grants & funding opportunities

Find out about the grants and funding opportunities the URC offers churches, community groups and individuals

Discipleship Development Fund

Large grant award

Around £5,000 per award per year is available to recognised groups within the URC which can apply to the Discipleship Development Fund: Large Grant.

Grants can be put towards any purpose that will contribute to the Discipleship Development of lay people in or connected with the URC including personnel costs, facilities, travel, courses etc.

Multi-year projects can be supported for up to three years and a tapered approach to funding is encouraged.

Applications for grants that only partially fund a project are acceptable, but the application will need to identify the source of the other funds.

Who can apply for it?

Any recognised group can apply, but if the group applying is not an Assembly Committee or a Synod, it will need to gain approval for its application from their Assembly Committee or Synod. Applicants will need to clearly demonstrate how the grant will be used to develop discipleship and lifelong learning within the URC. For more information about the fund and who can apply for it, download:

• Discipleship Development Fund – Large Grant guidelines (PDF | 169kb)

How to apply for the large grant award

Applications for the large grant award can be made by downloading and completing the simple form below.�� Deadlines for applications are: 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December. Applicants will be notified of a decision by the end of the following month.

• Discipleship Development Fund Large Grant application form (Word | 38kb)

Grants & funding opportunities

Find out about the grants and funding opportunities the URC offers churches, community groups and individuals

Accredited Lay Preacher grant

Who is eligible to claim this support?

All Lay Preachers in the United Reformed Church who have been Accredited by the General Assembly and who are designated as active.

What is provided?

Up to £300 per annum (assumed to be a calendar year with unspent money not transferable to a future year)

What can this money be used for?

The money is available for the costs and fees for learning events and resources which are relevant to the ministry exercised by the lay preacher, as authorized by the designated Synod Officer, and provided through any of the following:

• United Reformed Church Resource Centres for Learning Northern College (including courses offered by Luther King House), The Scottish College, Westminster College
• Up to 50% of the annual grant can be used for publications or resources, including subscriptions to Reform and other journals
• Learning events organised by a Synod which the relevant officers within the Synod designate as eligible for reimbursement through this scheme. This may include events specifically designed for preachers and worship leaders or events in which preaching and worship leading is a significant element
• Relevant learning events organised by other agencies (e.g. other parts of the United Reformed Church, the College of Preachers, ecumenical bodies, etc)

What does it not cover?

It does not cover travel expenses. Lay Preachers are encouraged to obtain travel expenses from their Synod or local church resources.

How are applications made?

Applications are to be made on the designated form, well before the beginning of the course or learning event. Retrospective applications will not normally be authorised.

Application forms are obtainable through the Synod office and should be sent for authorisation to the designated Synod officer.

How are grants paid?

Grants authorised by the designated Synod officer are paid by the Synod by reimbursement to the Lay Preacher upon presentation of proof of payment relating to expenditure made.

This may then be claimed back by the Synod from the Education & Learning Office (Church House).

Grant application form

This application should be submitted to your Synod’s designated officer, normally in advance of the beginning of the course to which it relates or of the expenditure on resources being made.��Please check with your Synod’s designated officer if you are unsure of the criteria for funding.

• Download the grant application form (Word | 308kb)

Grants & funding opportunities

Find out about the grants and funding opportunities the URC offers churches, community groups and individuals