Grant scheme

Garfield Weston Foundation

One of the UK's largest independent grant-makers. Funds capital projects for churches including heating, with regular grants typically between £5,000 and £100,000. Churches must demonstrate community benefit.

At a glance

Provider: Garfield Weston Foundation

Amount: Typically £5,000 to £100,000 for regular grants; major grants above £100,000 for larger projects

What it covers: Capital projects including building repairs, renovations and heating installations. Revenue costs and running expenses are not funded. The foundation looks for projects that benefit communities and are well planned with realistic budgets.

Deadline: Rolling applications; no fixed deadline

Eligibility

The Garfield Weston Foundation is one of the UK's largest independent grant-makers, distributing around £80 million a year. It is not a church-specific funder, but churches are among the organisations it supports regularly, particularly for capital projects that benefit the wider community.

Heating installations and energy efficiency improvements qualify as capital works. The foundation has funded church heating projects in the past, typically where the church can show the building serves the community beyond Sunday worship. If your church hosts community groups, food banks, concerts or other activities, that strengthens an application considerably.

Regular grants range from around £5,000 to £100,000. Major grants above £100,000 are available but are competitive and tend to go to larger, multi-phase projects. The foundation does not fund routine maintenance, running costs or retrospective work. Your project should be clearly scoped with a realistic budget and, ideally, some funding already in place from other sources.

How to apply

Apply online through the Garfield Weston Foundation website. There are no deadlines: applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Decisions on regular grants typically take around five months.

Need help with a grant application?

Tell us about your church and heating plans and we can talk you through which grants apply and how to make a strong application.

Official scheme website

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Costed proposal

A heating map with options costed for your building, and what each one runs at.

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