Meet the Funders Day
Meet the Funders June 2025 Event
This event brought together churches across Devon to connect and hear from national and local funders. Churches gained valuable advice on securing financial support for mission, building maintenance, and community projects. It was a valuable event for churches looking to navigate the funding process and take their projects forward.
Powerpoint
Click here to see the collated powerpoint of all of the presentations from the event.
Meet the Funders 2025 Programme
Our Guest Funders this year included: Benefact Trust, Joseph Rank Trust, National Churches Trust, Church Grants, Devon Historic Churches Trust, Exeter Diocese Creation Care Team and Church Buildings Team, Asda Foundation, National Lottery Community Fund. We also heard from Devon churches who have lived experience of successful grant funding campaigns including St Mary’s Church in Totnes who received a sizeable grant from The National Lottery Culture Recovery Fund.
Paul Playford from Benefact Trust.
Benefact Trust provides grant funding to support Christian organisations across the UK, with a focus on community impact, heritage preservation, and building improvements. Their main grant programmes include:
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Community Impact Grants – Funding projects that address social challenges, support mental health, tackle poverty, and engage young people which also includes support for growing congregations.
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Building Improvement Grants – Supporting repairs, accessibility improvements, and energy efficiency upgrades for churches and Christian buildings.
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Heritage Skills Grants – Providing funding for training in traditional skills such as stonemasonry and carpentry, helping to preserve historic Christian buildings.
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Roof Alarm Grants – Assisting churches with the installation of alarm systems to prevent metal theft
The Joseph Rank Trust is a UK-based charitable foundation that supports Christian organisations and initiatives, with a focus on promoting the Christian faith and encouraging practical community engagement. It provides grants primarily to projects that demonstrate a Christian approach to addressing social, educational, and spiritual needs, as well as those that involve adapting church buildings for broader community use. The Trust was established in 2002 but continues the philanthropic legacy of Joseph Rank, a 19th-century flour miller and philanthropist. It awards grants across the UK.
The National Lottery Community Fund will be sharing insights into their Reaching Communities funding, which supports projects that strengthen communities and improve lives across England. The fund prioritises people and places facing poverty, disadvantage, or discrimination, and backs work that empowers communities to shape the decisions affecting them. Funding ranges from £20,001 to £500,000, supporting a wide variety of projects.
The Devon Historic Churches Trust is a charity dedicated to raising funds and awarding grants for the repair and maintenance of Christian churches and chapels across Devon. Founded in 1973, the Trust supports the preservation of historic places of worship, many of which are listed buildings of significant architectural and historical interest. Through grants, fundraising events, and community engagement, Devon Historic Churches Trust helps ensure these churches remain active centres of worship and community life.
Meet the Funders 2024 Event
Advice, links and presentations from the Meet the Funders Day on Thursday 27th June 2024 can be found on the webpage here. This is for parishes to explore grant funding opportunities for large and small projects, to start to understand the process of applying and to consider impact and outcomes for all. Speakers were from The Benefact Trust, The National Churches Trust, The Heritage Lottery Fund, and the Church Grants database team.
Meet the Funders 2024 slides
Joseph Rank Trust and projects
