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Here are the questions we are asked most often, with answers, which we hope will help. If, having read them, your question is still not answered, then please contact us.For information on eligibility please see the Guidance Notes for Applicants and Application Forms.
We’ve applied for grants from other sources, but haven’t received responses yet. Do we have to wait until we get these to apply to you?
If you have applied for an English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund Repair Grant or a repair grant from CADW, Historic Scotland, or the Northern Ireland Environment Agency you should apply to us after you have received an initial offer or refusal from them. If they indicate that an application to them will not be successful, please send us a copy of any correspondence to this effect with your application to us.
Applications to other bodies such as County Trusts or Local Authorities do not delay a decision from us. If you know the outcome of any other applications at the time of completing our application form, please enter them. If you do not know, you can write "applied" or "will apply" in the relevant box on our form.
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We haven’t applied to English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund. Can we still apply?
Yes, but if your project is eligible for the English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund joint scheme/CADW/Historic Scotland/Northern Ireland Environment Agency we would expect you to apply to them prior to approaching us. If your project would be eligible for their consideration but there are reasons why you cannot apply to them please clearly state these reasons in your application to us.
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We might not get Faculty/relevant permission for a few months. mCan we still apply?
Yes. We can offer grants for repairs prior to you receiving that permission. Payment will not, however, be released until we have received a copy of a document showing that permission has been given. Once a grant is offered, recipients have 3 years in which to claim payment.
You must, however, include a copy of all permissions when you apply under our Community Grants Programme.
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We have some money in our accounts. Will this prejudice your decision?
We look at the circumstances of each individual case and the amount of money concerned. We look at the Annual Accounts and the accounts for any Friends' organisations. If money is held in restricted funds, or has been allocated to other projects or running costs, then please inform us of this in your application. We do not expect applicants to spend every resource on a project before we will consider awarding a grant.
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We were given a grant from you last year for a separate project. Can we now apply again?
Yes. We will accept applications for each new phase of works.
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We were given a grant from you but the cost of our project has increased. Can we be considered for additional help?
Yes. Please contact the National Churches Trust office if the costs have risen by £20,000 or more, or if new work at a cost of £20,000 or more has been uncovered during repairs.
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We need to start the project urgently. How will this affect our application to you?
We ask that we have received your complete application before work commences. Exceptions are made in cases of extremely urgent work authorised by English Heritage, your Archdeacon or other authorising body. Please provide a copy of correspondence or documentation confirming that the work was carried out, or is being carried out, as a health and safety emergency when you apply.
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Part of our project involves work you list as ineligible under your current policy. Can we still apply?
Yes. Please submit an application detailing the total cost, with a breakdown of costs allocated to individual works within the whole project. Please note that the estimated cost of eligible works must be £50,000 (including VAT and fees) or more.
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How often are grants awarded and are there deadlines for applications?
Our Grants Committee meet quarterly to make decisions on applications. We are therefore happy to receive grant applications throughout the year and will process them for consideration as soon as we can.
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How soon will we know if we have been successful?
We try to reply with a decision within 6 months. Delays will however occur if we have received an unusually high volume of applications over a short period or if applications are incomplete.
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I have received a grant offer. How do I claim payment?
Before claiming payment you must accept the offer by signing and returning the relevant documents. Please check the terms and conditions in the grant offer letter. You can accept the offer and claim payment at the same time if you are ready to do so. If not, please accept the offer. You then have 3 years in which to claim payment. The expiry date will be clearly stated on the offer letter. You can ask us to send you a cheque as soon as you have any of the following: an architect’s interim certificate; a certificate of progress payment; or a certificate of final completion for the work. Where the certificate shows an amount, this should be equal to or more than the grant we have offered. You should also send in a copy of a certificate or other piece of correspondence showing that permission to carry out the work has been given by the relevant body. For Church of England and Church in Wales churches this means sending in a copy of the Faculty for the work. For Methodist Churches, a document showing permission from the Methodist Property Office is required. Other denominations will have equivalent permissions or Trustees who have authorised the work. Please also tell us the name of the place of worship’s account to which the cheque should be made payable.
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