If you are a churchwarden, PCC secretary or volunteer who has been asked, ‘could you see if there are any grants we can apply for?’, you will know that finding funding can be a job in itself. Where do you start? Which funders might support your project? What information do they need? Where are the church’s policies and accounts? And why, when you have just spent an evening filling in one application, does the next funder seem to want much the same information all over again, but in a completely different format?
It is a new online hub where organisations can find and apply for funding in one place. As more funders use the platform, the aim is to reduce the need for applicants to repeatedly provide the same information and documents for every grant they apply for.
For a busy church volunteer, that could mean less time wrestling with forms and more time getting on with the project you are trying to fund.
For PCCs, churchwardens and others involved in running a church, this could be particularly useful when you have a good idea but aren’t sure where to start with finding the money to make it happen. Perhaps you want to improve your church building, start a new activity for the local community, support a particular group of people, or develop a project, but don’t have the money available to get it off the ground.
Finding a suitable grant can feel daunting if fundraising isn’t something you do regularly. Fund Gloucestershire provides a place to start, bringing funding opportunities together and making the application process more straightforward.
It won’t remove all the work involved in applying for a grant – you will still need to explain what you want to do and why it matters – but it should help to remove some of the unnecessary repetition and administration.
It is also helpful if your PCC already holds a community fund or gives grants to local groups; Fund Gloucestershire could also help you manage the other side of the process. Rather than setting up and administering your own system for receiving and managing applications, the platform provides a practical way to do this.
Fund Gloucestershire is a new initiative. Its usefulness will grow as more funders come on board. We would encourage churches and PCCs to take a look and consider whether Fund Gloucestershire could be useful for their work, whether they are seeking funding for a project, or administering funds for others.
Find out more about Fund Gloucestershire →
