A briefing on sources of funding - both public and private - for places of worship in the United Kingdom, often for repairs and renovation.
Several sources of funding – both public and private – are available to places of worship in the UK. Heritage funding is devolved, which means public funding is the responsibility of the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive as well as the UK Government.
There are more than 56,000 places of worship in the UK.
According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), places of worship in the United Kingdom form “an important component of the UK’s built heritage”. Some places of worship are listed, meaning they have been formally recognised as possessing “special architectural or historic interest” and given protections in law.
Places of worship represent a high proportion of the UK’s most significant listed structures. Around 45% of England’s and around 33% of Wales’s most highly listed (Grade I) structures are places of worship; in Scotland the equivalent figure for its highest listing classification, Category A, is around 15%.
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Table 1 Places of worship in the UK |
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Region |
All places of worship |
Listed places of worship |
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England and Wales |
42,859 |
14,797 (England) >3,000 (Wales) |
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Scotland |
11,000 |
2,470 |
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Northern Ireland |
2,500 |
941 |
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Total |
56,359 |
More than 21,200 |
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Source: DCMS, Evaluation of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme – Final report, 22 January 2026 |
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Most of the listed places of worship are Christian. In England, there are around 58 non-Christian listed places of worship, of which 27 are Jewish, 15 Muslim, 7 Sikh, 5 Buddhist and 4 non-specified. These collectively represent around 0.4% of all listed places of worship in England.
On 22 January 2026 the government announced a Places of Worship Renewal Fund (PWRF) for England. This targets “capital funding where it is needed most, focusing on repair and conservation work”. It is funded by DCMS and delivered through Historic England. A total of £92 million has been allocated to the PWRF over a four-year period. The PWRF is part of the wider Arts Everywhere Fund.
On 16 April 2026, Marsha De Cordova, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, told the House of Commons that:
Priority will be given to buildings in areas of high deprivation or community need. Applications are expected to start with an expression of interest, followed by a full application, with efforts made to minimise administrative burdens on smaller parishes.
Small, medium and large grants ranging from £10,000 to £1,000,000 will be awarded for capital works that keep buildings “safe, open and in public use”. Any listed place of worship in England can apply, of any faith or denomination, provided it is an active place of worship.
The first PWRF funding round closed in June 2026 and Historic England received 1,041 expressions of interest. On 15 October it was announced that 51 recipients would share more than £18 million in funding.
As the PWRF is a capital grant scheme, where capital grants have been awarded Value Added Tax (VAT) on eligible works and costs will be rebated where it is not otherwise reclaimable.
A previous funding scheme, the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS), provided VAT relief for projects on places of worship but did not provide grants.
Ian Murray, Minister of State at DDCMS, told the House that:
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will award grants for projects to cover capital works, rather than just the VAT element of a project, as is the case with the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. In some cases the amount granted could be greater than just the VAT element currently funded.
A DDCMS evaluation of the LPWGS pointed to low awareness and concluded that “while it had many benefits, 80% of respondents said that they would still have carried out the work without the rebate”.
If a place of worship is a registered charity (religious organisations often are) then it could apply to some of the organisations listed in the Library’s Finding funding for charities and voluntary organisations briefing paper.
In addition, the following organisations can provide funding for places of worship (not just those of Christian faiths):
The Wolfson Foundation provides funding for places of worship of “outstanding historic and architectural significance” to undertake conservation and restoration work. It awards grants through two routes:
The Pilgrim Trust considers applications aiming to find sustainable uses for redundant/closed places of worship.
Anglican churches must apply via the ChurchCare conservation grants scheme, which is part-funded by the Pilgrim Trust; all other denominations, faiths and cathedrals may apply directly.
The National Lottery’s Heritage Fund provides grants for individual places of worship “used for worship or other purposes”.
Through its Heritage 2033 strategy, the Heritage Fund is “taking a new approach to supporting historic places of worship, grounded in our research into the needs and challenges in different areas and nations of the UK”.
The mission of the National Churches Trust is to see the UK’s “wonderful collection of historic churches, chapels and meeting houses open, used, and in good repair”. Its grants are available to “any Christian place of worship in the UK that is open for regular worship”.
The Architectural Heritage Fund’s Heritage Impact Fund is for charities and social enterprises across the UK that are “looking to make a positive social impact by acquiring, reusing, or redeveloping buildings of historic or architectural importance”.
The Garfield Weston Foundation funds capital projects such as building works or repairs for a place of worship. It welcomes applications from faith-based organisations that are either exempt from registration under Charity Commission guidelines or are registered charities.
Benefact Trust (formerly Allchurches Trust) provides large grants and small grants for “churches and Christian charities”.
The Church of England gives grants for the conservation of its historic church interiors and churchyard structures in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust, the Oswald Allen Bequest, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, the Gunnis Fund and the Anglican Parish Churches Fund. It uses non-lottery funds for a parish unwilling to accept National Lottery funding. The Church of England’s Cornerstone Grants Guide is also a useful resource.
Most places of worship in Wales cannot apply for grants to the Church of England unless they are in one of the few parishes physically located in Wales but part of Church of England dioceses (having elected to remain within the Church of England at disestablishment in 1920). There are currently 18 Church of England church buildings in Wales.
Between 2023 and 2025, the Archbishops’ Council and Church Commissioners invested £11 million in the Buildings for Mission programme. This funds 36 Church Buildings Support Officer posts across England, based in dioceses and partner organisations, who provide practical advice on repairs, maintenance, fundraising and community engagement to help churches remain sustainable and mission focused.
Other grant-based programmes complement the Buildings for Mission project. The Net Zero Carbon Programme (operating between 2026 and 2028) has £40 million to fund capital projects such as replacement heating schemes. A Quick Wins Fund helps churches improve energy efficiency and reduce running costs. Where churches can no longer remain in parish use, the Church of England works closely with the Churches Conservation Trust to safeguard them for future generations.
The Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, administered on behalf of the Home Office by the Community Security Trust, provides funding for protective security measures, such as security personnel services, CCTV and alarm systems, at synagogues, Jewish educational establishments and other communal locations across the United Kingdom.
On 10 March 2026, representatives from the Church of Scotland and Scottish Catholic Bishops’ Conference met UK government ministers to “raise serious concerns” about the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. They expressed opposition to suggestions that churches apply for lottery funding as many congregations “are unable to accept such funding for ethical or pastoral reasons, particularly those working with people affected by gambling harm”.
Màiri McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, said the Scottish Government had “strongly encouraged the UK Government to rethink their policy position”.
On 18 August 2026 Historic Environment Scotland (HES) announced that the Scotland’s Places of Worship Fund (SPWF) had been developed in response to the closure of the UK-wide LPWGS. SPWF will support eligible listed places of worship across Scotland by helping them recover VAT costs associated with repair works.
The Scotland’s Places of Worship Fund will operate as a standalone scheme until the end of March 2027, with up to £1 million made available through the existing HES Grants budget. Funding will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applicants. HES says the pilot will help assess demand for the scheme in Scotland and provide evidence to inform future funding arrangements.
The new fund will be open to eligible listed places of worship from all faiths and denominations across Scotland. To qualify, a project must involve a listed building used as a place of public worship for a minimum of six times a year. Works must be currently underway or have been carried out or completed since 1 April 2026. Internal works to the building fabric can be funded, as well as fixed items of furniture and religious ritual. External repair and maintenance works are also eligible.
The Baird Trust was originally for Presbyterian denominations – Church of Scotland, United Free Kirk, and so on – but now offers grants to all denominations and churches (including synagogues). Most of its grants (up to £10,000) are for purposes relating to fabric and building improvements.
The Church of Scotland Consolidated Fabric Fund and Central Fabric Fund Loans is operated by the Church of Scotland General Trustees and provides advances and grants for the “purchase, building, repair and improvement of Churches, Halls and Manses and in certain other special cases as determined by the General Trustees”.
All applications must be submitted via the local Presbytery Office. An application form can be obtained by emailing the General Trustees: [email protected].
The Church of Scotland’s Funding Sources for Churches also gives details of funding available to churches in specific parts of Scotland.
The Welsh Government operates a Community Facilities Programme which provides small and larger grants to “any constituted community group such as a community interest company, charity or social enterprise”.
The Welsh Parliament/Senedd Research publication, Community buildings, places of worship and faith groups – a guide for constituents (2021) outlines and signposts sources of funding available to organisations and groups for the construction, development and maintenance of community buildings and places of worship.
Cadw (a Welsh word meaning “to keep” or “to protect”) is the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. Cadw’s Historic Buildings Grant is a capital grants programme for historic buildings, including places of worship.
The Welsh Church Act Fund is a charitable trust established from the proceeds and assets of the disestablishment of the Church of England within Wales (1920). These assets were distributed among former county councils in Wales and then divided between the unitary authorities formed in 1996. It provides grants for a wide range of purposes, including the restoration and maintenance of places of worship and burial grounds.
Individuals should contact their local authority to find out information relating to eligibility criteria and the trust’s current funding priorities.
The James Pantyfedwen Foundation offers grants to renovate and develop chapels and churches in all parts of Wales. It does not fund cemeteries, external works or the restoration and purchase of church organs.
Since 2018, the Northern Ireland Department for Communities has supported the National Churches Trust in Northern Ireland through its Historic Environment Fund (HEF) and covid recovery funding. Northern Ireland denominations seeking assistance and advice on repairs should apply for funding through the National Churches Trust medium and large grant programmes.
On 8 April 2026, the Northern Ireland Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced £200,000 in funding for four historic church buildings in that part of the UK.
The Northern Ireland Executive also has a Government Funding Database, which can be searched by department, local authority or funding programme name.
There are other, often geographically specific, funds for places of worship.
The Heritage Funding Directory (managed by The Heritage Alliance and the Architectural Heritage Fund) has entries covering historic buildings, churchyards and cemeteries.
Grants Online is a UK-wide e-newsletter, which can be filtered to enable a refined search for different parts of the UK.
Church Grants (“Finding the best funders for churches”) is a subscription-based search engine specifically for churches and Christian organisations in the UK.
Historic England has published a Places of Worship Funding Index, which it describes as a “resource to support places of worship in England to identify potential funders for building-focused projects”.
A Westminster Hall debate on the potential merits of recognising the production and serving of cask ale as Intangible Cultural Heritage has been scheduled for 27 October 2026. The debate will be opened by Jacob Collier MP.
The Heritage Public Houses Bill 2026-27 is a private members bill (ballot bill) introduced by Mike Wood MP (Con). The bill will have its second reading on 16 October 2026.
The Sporting Events Bill [HL] 2026-27 had its second reading in the House of Commons on 3 September 2026. Committee stage is scheduled to begin on 20 October 2026