The Warwickshire and Coventry Historic Churches Trust is a small organisation and therefore we keep our applications procedures simple, keeping in close touch with churches throughout the process.
Who can apply?
Any place of Christian worship within Warwickshire, the City of Coventry or the West Midlands that is within the Diocese of Coventry.
Does my place of worship have to be a subscriber to the Trust?
Yes. We do expect Churches to be members of the Trust. Details of how to join can be found here. When grants are awarded we ask applicants to support the Ride+ Stride event, and display posters and information about the work of the Trust.
How do I apply for a grant?
Download the application form, complete it and email it, if possible, to the Trust Hon Secretary, Claire Strachan at secretarywchct@gmail.com or post it to her – see application form for details. Please answer all the questions and please do not start to complete this form until you have read the guidance notes on what we fund.
What happens next?
When an application is received, we will liaise with you to ensure we have enough information to enable us to make an informed decision. In the event of a grant being approved in principle, one or more of our conservation architects will arrange a meeting with you at your church to discuss your application and view the proposed work.
When does the Grants Committee meet?
It meets several times a year. At the current time our practice is to circulate grant information, once received, to the Grants Committee for consideration at the next Trustee meeting. If there is not a meeting in the near future we will aim to reach a decision via email which will be followed up by a visit from one of our conservation architects.
When will I know the decision taken?
The Hon Secretary will keep in touch with you, advising of progress and advising of likely dates for approval if your application is waiting for the next meeting.
When will I receive the cheque?
Our practice is to send cheques by post on receipt of evidence that the work has been completed – either a certificate of completion or the final invoice.
We’ve had a grant – what do we do now?
Congratulations on a successful application – we hope your project is a great success. To help us continue our work supporting churches, we’d appreciate it if you could do some or all of the following:
- Take part or sponsor participants in Ride and Stride and the Bard’s Ride in September each year.
- Take part in Ride & Stride – This is our biggest fundraising event and takes place on the second Saturday of September each year. The more people that can raise sponsorship to ride, walk or drive between churches, make a donation or take part in an alternative activity, the more work we can do. For more details, please click here.
- Let your parish magazine know about the grant.
- Keep us posted with news and pictures of the works as they take place. We can then keep our supporters informed via our website and social media.
Thank you for your help.