Sustainable Church Buildings Project

Small Grants Guidelines

As part of the Sustainable Church Buildings Project, eligible Church of England churches within the London Borough of Islington are invited to apply for a small grant. The Charity regrets it is unable to accept applications from churches outside of this area of benefit.

Eligible churches can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 towards projects that reduce the church’s carbon footprint and/or improve sustainability. To apply, a church must have first met with Inspired Efficiency to review their AECOM audit report, which was produced as part of the first Sustainable Church Buildings Project in 2017-18. If a church would like to apply for a project that is not recommended in the AECOM report, they should be able to provide evidence that their chosen project will have an impact on the carbon footprint or sustainability of the church.

Criteria

  • The Church has received an audit update from Inspired Efficiency
  • The project is focused on reducing your church’s carbon footprint and/or improving sustainability. The project might be based on a recommendation from the original AECOM audit, identified through the subsequent review by Inspired Efficiency or be supported by evidence from another suitably qualified professional
  • The project falls within Cloudesley’s Church Object to make grants ‘towards the upkeep and repair of the fabric of, and the maintenance of the services in, any churches of the Church of England in the London Borough of Islington’
  • The project and grant application have been approved by the PCC
  • A quote for the work has been provided.

Grant size and duration

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

Application time period

The application window for this Fund has now been extended to 31 March 2025. After their audit review by Inspired Efficiency, churches can apply at any time up to this date. Once an application is submitted, assuming all the necessary information has been received, we will aim to notify you of our decision in three weeks.

Number of grants

This will be a non-competitive process so all churches should be able to access one grant each if the project fits the eligibility criteria. Churches cannot apply for more than one grant under this programme, although a grant could be for more than one item or project up to a total of £10,000.

 

Monitoring

Cloudesley is keen to understand the impact of its funding and to learn from the grants that it makes. To help with this, churches are asked to provide a brief report to the charity once a funded project/works have been completed. Full details of the monitoring requirements will be provided when the grant is awarded.

Further guidance for applicants

  • It is anticipated that this Fund will be used for smaller projects, or feasibility for larger projects, so that a grant of £10,000 would cover the majority of the costs. If you have a larger project, please apply to the main Church Grants programme through the usual Spring and Autumn grant rounds. As part of this Project, there will also be a Large Grants programme run alongside the Spring 2024 funding round
  • If you apply for a project that does not relate to the AECOM audit recommendations or other measures identified during the Inspired Efficiency review, you will need to provide evidence to demonstrate that the project will have a significant impact on the carbon footprint or sustainability of the church. This might be another audit you have undertaken which recommends the measure, or data provided by the contractor.

Accessibility

If you have access needs and require any additional support with making an application, please contact [email protected] or phone 020 7697 4049.

Contact us

Application form questions

Question

Guidance

Details of applicant church

Name of church, Name of contact person for this application, Contact email address

Please provide an outline of how the grant would be spent in helping the church reduce its carbon footprint or improve sustainability. Please reference which audit or review recommendations this relates to. If it does not relate to an audit recommendation, please explain why you have chosen to apply for this instead.

Tell us about the project you are applying for. What will you do? Who will undertake the work? How does it relate to your AECOM audit or review? If it doesn’t relate to the audit, please include evidence demonstrating the environmental impact of the project.

Please describe the difference the funding will make, in particular to improving sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint of the church. Please specify the expected carbon reductions (tCO2e) and the percentage reduction this equates to against the church’s current total carbon footprint, if known.

What will the project achieve? E.g. the lighting will be more energy efficient, reducing the demand for electricity and lowering bills and carbon usage by X%.

 

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.

 

How much are you applying for? (up to a maximum of £10,000)

Please state the requested grant amount.

Budget

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

If the total cost of the work exceeds the grant amount, please explain how the shortfall will be covered.

If the total cost is more than the amount requested, please state how the remaining costs will be covered. This might be VAT reclaim via the Listed Places of Worship Scheme, church reserves, congregational giving or grants from other funders. Please state whether the funding is secured or not. If there is no shortfall, write N/A.

 

Please attach the following supporting documents:

  • Latest audited accounts
  • Extract of minutes with PCC approval
  • Quote(s) for proposed works / purchases
  • Evidence of impact on carbon footprint/sustainability (if your project does not relate to the AECOM audit report or Inspired Efficiency work)

Please provide all the requested documents. As the grant is for a maximum of £10,000, only one quote is required.

 

Declaration and Data Notice

Please read the Data Notice carefully and confirm that you are authorised to submit the application on behalf of the Church.