Meet the Funders Day
Meet the Funders 2025 Event – 26th June 2025 – Save the Date!
Our Meet the Funders Day event will be back on Thursday the 26th of June at St Matt’s in Exeter (EX1 2LJ) from 10:00 to 15:00. This event brings together churches across Devon to connect and hear from national and local funders. Churches will gain valuable advice on securing financial support for mission, building maintenance, and community projects. It’s a valuable event for churches looking to navigate the funding process and take their projects forward.
Meet the Speakers who will be attending:
In the lead-up to our Meet the Funders Day, we are highlighting different funders.
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.
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.
