GRANTS

Dorset Historic Churches Trust exists to help conserve places of Christian worship of all denominations in the administrative county of Dorset, which are open for public worship.

The intention of Grant aid is to assist in the sympathetic repair of historic churches and chapels, or the historic fittings therein, to a standard that their architectural value merits and to ensure their continued use by the communities they serve.

Any cases of exceptional merit or need will be considered for our support if funds are available.

Any church wishing to apply for grant aid should contact their Deanery Area Representative for advice and assistance. Should you be uncertain how to contact your DAR, please send a message to either [email protected] or to [email protected]   asking for their details. We have recently updated our Grant Application form to enable applicants give us a clearer idea of their church's finances. The new Application form can be found here. All completed forms must be sent to your Deanery Area Representative. Applications for the June 2021 Trustees meeting must be submitted by Fri 28 May to allow due time for consideration.  Applications for the third annual cycle of grants for 2021 must be submitted by Sat 2 Oct. 

Conditions for Grant aid

Dorset Historic Churches Trust exists to help conserve places of Christian worship of all denominations in the administrative county of Dorset.

The intention of Grant aid is to assist in the sympathetic repair of historic churches and chapels, or the historic fittings therein, to a standard that their architectural value merits and to ensure their continued use by the communities they serve.

Any cases of exceptional merit or need will be considered for our support if funds are available. A statement of the types of work which we are able to support and those that regrettably we cannot can be found here.  Please note that we are not able to contribute towards VAT, which can often be re-claimed on Listed Buildings, or towards professional fees. Applications are to be submitted on a Dorset Historic Churches Trust application form, with audited financial accounts attached, to the Deanery Area Representative of the Trust in the area in which the Church is located.

A grant cannot be made for repairs started or carried out before the application has been approved by a meeting of the Trustees, except where prior permission has been explicitly given by the Trust. This is obtained by contacting your Deanery Representative.

All projects must demonstrate need and a well thought-out approach, backed by professional advice and have the necessary permissions.

Our Grants normally only cover a modest proportion of the cost of repairs, and the church or chapel is expected to make a substantial contribution. Grants will be paid, only after completion of the works, on submission to the Treasurer of a receipted bill or Architects completion certificate.

The Trust reserves the right to refuse or delay payment where doubt exists over the completion of the works to a satisfactory standard.

Preference for the allocation of Grants will normally be given to applicants with a past record of support for the Trust though gifts or taking part in the annual Ride + Stride fund-raising event.  

At their meeting on 9 March 2021, the Trustees considered applications from 9 churches for work to repair roofs, guttering and pointing. Due to the much better than expected Ride + Stride returns, a grant budget of over £40,000 was available and the Trustees were very pleased to be able to award 8 grants ranging from £3,000 to £10,000 as can be seen in the table below. An application from St Aldhelm's Chapel at Worth Matravers for roof repairs was met by a grant from the Erskine Muton Trust Fund.