Thanks to funding allocated to Manchester Diocese through the Archbishops’ Council, parishes can apply once again for a Minor Repairs and Improvements Grant to assist with urgent and necessary repairs and essential improvements.

Maximum grant: £10,000

The percentage of the project costs that can be funded by the grant depends upon the parish’s deprivation rank as shown on the Church of England Parish Map:

Funding criteria:

• The total estimated cost of the project is no more than £25,000.
• Capital funding is for a Church of England-owned church or church hall where regular activities are taking place (cathedrals, schools, housing and other building types are not eligible).
• The Parish has paid the previous year’s agreed Parish Share in full.
• Relevant statutory permissions, for example Faculty (or list A or B permission as appropriate) and/or any other statutory permission must be obtained. A grant offer does not confer such permission or remove the need for consultation.
• Work must be recommended in the most recent Quinquennial Inspection report (or subsequent professional report or condition survey etc). Work classified as urgent (either category 1 – Urgent, requiring immediate attention; 2 – Requires attention within 12 months; or 3 – Requires attention within the next 12 – 24 months) should take priority, but any work required within the quinquennium is eligible, in particular where ‘stitch in time’ repairs can save money in the long term.
• Works already started prior to the offering of a grant are ineligible to receive funding.
• Projects that have previously received diocesan grant funding support are not eligible.

Eligible works:

External: roof structure and coverings

Slates, tiles, shingles, lead flats, etc and the wooden or metal structure supporting them.

External: rainwater goods including below-ground drainage

The whole system for disposing of surface water, including gutters, spouts, hoppers, drainpipes, gullies, surface channels, drains and soakaways.

External: masonry and foundations

Walls, parapets, buttresses, towers and stone or brick spires.

External: architectural features and decoration

Pinnacles, bellcotes, fleches and spires (where constructed of timber and/or metal) and other architectural features; external decoration eg limewashing and paintwork.

External: doors and windows (surrounds, tracery, plain window glass)

External doors including the masonry, wood or metal fabric of the opening/surround/frame as well as the door itself; windows, including the masonry, wood or metal fabric of the opening/surround/frame, tracery and ferramenta and plain window glass (clear or coloured plate glass and leaded lights but not stained or painted glass).

External: boundary walls, railings and fences; gates and paths

Boundary walls, railings, fences and other non-vegetation boundary markers of the churchyard or curtilage; gates providing access to the churchyard or curtilage or within it; paths providing access through the churchyard or curtilage to the church.

Internal building fabric

Ceilings, floors, internal doors, walls and wall linings (plaster/panelling but not wall paintings, mosaics etc).

Building services installations

Electrical wiring; gas, oil and water pipework; audio-visual system cabling and permanent fixtures, and the lightning conductor; permanent fixed appliances such as boilers and cookers. NB replacement of components would be properly classified as repair; replacement of a whole system should be properly classified as an improvement if the replacement brings about better functionality, capacity or safety.

Emergency repairs or holding works

Propping, covering, protection etc, including temporary roof coverings.

Additions, alterations or adaptations to overcome building design defects or to improve access for maintenance

Replacement of undersized hoppers or drainpipes or installation of fixed ladders at high level for maintenance/inspection access.

Additions, alterations or adaptations to improve physical access for users and visitors

Handrails, ramps etc; the objective of such work should be to achieve equal access rather than an arbitrary improvement; for guidance see Equal Access to Church Buildings, available at:

Improvements to building services installations

Such as improvements to heating, lighting, wiring, kitchens, WCs, audiovisual systems. Where necessary, this might include the installation or upgrading of supply infrastructure, including pipework or cabling from the nearest suitable connection, eg to provide a three-phase electricity supply.

New installations or improvements to existing installations for digital connectivity

Whether through a wired connection or 4G/5G mobile Wi-Fi.

Bat mitigation measures

Including relevant ecologists’ fees and production of a bat management plan where necessary, where the impact of bats is a barrier to worship and mission use. A one-off deep clean may be an eligible cost as part of a mitigation plan. NB where an element is being repaired after bat damage, the work should be categorised under Minor repairs according to the type of repair.

Other eligible costs

Necessary costs incurred with an associated eligible repair or improvement such as

• Contractors’ preliminaries;
• Scaffolding and other essential access costs;
• Professional fees to design, specify, inspect and certify the repair or improvement work;
• VAT – unless a zero rate is available.

Ineligible work

The following types of work are not eligible:

• Routine maintenance, as set out in the Calendar of Care.
• Routine cleaning. Where increased cleaning is required because of bats, funding may be available through the Living Alongside Bats in Churches grant.
• Routine inspections, including Quinquennial Inspections, periodic inspection and testing of electrical installations, appliance testing and gas safety checks.
• Routine servicing of building services installations.
• New or replacement fossil fuel appliances.
• Works to furnishings and historic church interiors, including bells and bell frames, books and manuscripts, church plate, clocks, monumental brasses and decorative metalwork, monuments, organs, paintings and wall paintings, stained or painted glass, textiles and wooden objects.
• Works to churchyard structures, such as tombs, monuments, grave markers, churchyard crosses and other buildings in the immediate vicinity of the church or wider churchyard or curtilage.
• Soft landscape repair and maintenance, including tree surgery and pruning, grass-cutting and other gardening work.
• Any work covered by insurance.

Application Process

To apply, please complete the online Minor Repairs and Improvements application form.

If you are unable to use the online form, please contact: grants@manchester.anglican.org  

Applications will be considered by the diocesan Grant Committee and must be received at least two weeks before the Grants Panel meeting dates.

Committee dates for 2027 will appear here in due course.

Information to accompany your application form

When completing the online form, you will be asked to provide two competitive quotes. If only one quotation is obtained, you must confirm that the quotation has been approved by your surveyor or architect.

Please read the DAC and Faculty guidance before submitting your application.

Drawing down the grant and reporting

Grants are drawn down on the completion of work. Parishes must provide copies of invoices for work done in order for grant monies to be released.

There is an expectation that Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants will be drawn down within 12 months of being approved. Parishes will be asked for updates on a six-monthly basis so that issues can be identified in a timely fashion.