Sustainable Church Buildings Project

Large Grants Guidelines

As part of the Sustainable Church Buildings Project, a small number of Large Grants of between £10,000 to £65,000 are available. The initial budget for the Large Grants is £215,000. It is expected that the Large Grants programme will be particularly competitive, with only 3-4 grants made if all requests are close to the maximum level or an estimated 4-6 grants if applications are at a lower level. 

The application window for the Large Grants will run alongside that of the Spring 2024 round of the main grants programme, with churches able to apply to both funds at the same time. In theory this means that, if you receive both grants, you will be able to access up to £130,000 (up to £65k from the SCBP Large Grants fund + up to £65k from the Spring 2024 funding round) for a single SCBP project or linked projects. 

Criteria

You will need to demonstrate that: 

  • The project is likely to result in a significant reduction in carbon emissions 
  • The church currently has a high level of carbon emissions – Energy Footprint Tool data will be used to calculate this, but if your church has not completed this, there will be space on the application form to state the current carbon footprint of the church 
  • The church is in a reasonable state of repair. Churches classified as ‘Very bad’ on the Heritage at Risk Register will not be eligible to apply. Other churches which are facing significant issues with the fabric of their church buildings should highlight this to their Grants Manager in advance of applying.

Energy Footprint Tool

Application process

If you would like to apply for a Large Grant, please contact your Grants Manager in the first instance for an initial discussion. If you meet the criteria, they will subsequently send you a link to the online application form. If you are applying to both the Spring 2024 funding round and the Large Grant programme for two distinct but linked projects (e.g. roof repairs and the installation of solar panels), you will also need to complete the Spring 2024 grant application. If you are applying to both funds for the same project, you should complete the SCBP Large Grant application form only.

Required information

In addition to the usual information required as part of Cloudesley’s main Church Grants programme, you will also need to demonstrate: 

  • That appropriate professional advice has been taken or will be taken before the works begin 
  • That the proposed project is an appropriate solution for the church. This should take into account: 
    • the church usage – the solution should be appropriate based on how regularly the church is used and what parts of the church are in use – i.e. heating solutions that need to be on constantly to be effective may not be appropriate for churches not in constant use; heating solutions that heat the whole space may not be appropriate when only a section of the church is in use 
    • the church fabric – the solution should not damage the fabric, and solutions should not be affixed to fabric that requires significant repairs unless you are submitting a linked application to the Spring 2024 funding round towards the repairs or have some other funding towards these repairs. 
    • solutions should not replace existing solutions that have been recently installed/purchased or still have a long lifespan 
    • that the carbon emissions involved in installing a new sustainable solution (embodied carbon) do not exceed the emissions savings (operational carbon).
  • A realistic project timetable, including for receiving any necessary permissions, securing funding for any budget shortfall and for carrying out the works 
  • The expected impact of the project, including anticipated carbon emission savings. Inspired Efficiency will be able to provide support with this element of the application if required 
  • That the church has a wider commitment to working towards net zero carbon (NZC) targets and implementing sustainability measures. This might include:
    • plans for switching to green energy suppliers 
    • involvement in A Rocha’s Eco Church scheme 
    • plans for passing a NZC motion at your PCC and creating an NZC action plan.

General information required

Embodied carbon

Eco Church Scheme

Grant size and duration

Eligible churches can apply for a grant of between £10,000 to £65,000 which should be spent within 12 months of the award date.

Timeline

Fund opens: Monday 19 February 2024 

Fund closes: Monday 15 April 2024 

Decisions: Late May/Early June 2024

Monitoring and learning

The Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon Programme is commissioning an evaluation of the Sustainable Church Buildings Project. Churches in receipt of a Large Grant will be required to participate in this evaluation. This is likely to include completion of surveys, interviews and participation in a focus group, as well as a commitment to completing the Energy Footprint Tool in future years. Your church may also be chosen to feature in a filmed, written and/or technical case study. Full details of the requirements will be provided as soon as they are available.

Accessibility

If you have access needs and require any additional support with making an application, please contact your Grants Manager: 

Catherine Sorrell: [email protected] or 020 7697 4049 

Kevin Turner: [email protected] or 020 7697 4201

Contact Catherine

Contact Kevin

Application form questions

Question 

Guidance  

Details of applicant church 

Name of church, Name of contact person for this application, Church and contact email address 

Brief summary of the project/works 

Please briefly describe the work you are applying for. (Maximum 255 character count)

(i) Total project/works cost 

 

(ii) Total amount requested from SCBP Large Grant programme 

 

(iii) Would you also like to apply to Cloudesley’s main Spring 2024 round for this project? If so, please specify the amount requested from the main round. 

 

Please tell us the total cost of the project and how much you are requesting from Cloudesley. You can request up to £65,000 from the SCBP Large Grant programme, but if the total cost is significantly more, you can request up to an additional £65k from the main Spring 2024 round without the need for a separate application. If you want to apply to the main round for a linked but separate piece of work, this will need a separate application, so in this instance please leave (iii) blank. 

 

Describe the need for the work/project and how the need was assessed. 

What is the issue that this project addresses? If you have prepared a Statement of Needs in connection with any application for faculty or other permission for this project, you can attach it to your application and answer the question ‘See attached Statement of Needs.’ 

Please explain your project in more detail. Who will oversee this project and who will carry out the work? 

Please give details of the project that you are applying for. Please tell us the name of the contractors that will undertake it and any professionals that will support or oversee the work. 

What professional advice has been taken? Why are you sure that the project is an appropriate solution for your church? 

How do you know that the solution is appropriate for your church’s usage pattern and fabric, and will result in appropriate carbon savings? Who have you consulted about this? 

If you have not completed the Energy Footprint Tool for 2022, please provide details of your current level of emissions here. If you did complete the EFT, please leave this question blank. 

Churches with large carbon footprints will be prioritised. Please contact us if you need help with calculating your emissions level. 

Expected start date and end date 

Tell us when you expect to start and complete this project. Grants should be spent within 12 months of the award date, which will be in late May/early June 2024. 

If any planning, faculty or other consents are required for the project to proceed, please provide details and indicate what stage the applications have reached. 

What planning and Faculty are required? How far along with this process are you? Do you anticipate any issues arising? If none, put N/A. 

 

If relevant, please give details of any consultation that has been/will be carried out with other major stakeholders relevant to the project/works (for example, the Diocese, local authority, community groups or building users). Please include a summary of any concerns/issues raised and how these have been/will be addressed. 

If your project affects others, how have you consulted them? 

What are the anticipated carbon savings of the project and how do you know? Will the project have any other outcomes? How will you measure the impact? 

The expected carbon savings will form part of the decision-making process. Please contact us if you are unsure of the carbon savings of the project. 

Please tell us about your church’s wider commitment to Net Zero Carbon and sustainability. 

This might include achievements in A Rocha’s Eco Church programme, a Net Zero Carbon action plan or motion being passed by the PCC, or switching to a green energy supplier. 

Any other information 

If there is anything else that you want to highlight, please tell us here. 

Budget 

Please complete the table, listing budget items separately. If you do not need all the rows, leave the surplus ones blank. 

Income 

Please provide a list of confirmed and potential income towards the project costs. Please state if it is for a specific part of the project. There is a free text box at the bottom of this question if you want to provide any more details.