About us

Churches, chapels and meeting houses are impressive, exciting and surprising places.

Whether for worship, quiet reflection, access to critical services or space to explore, churches are a priceless part of the UK’s heritage and of its social fabric.

Our vision is that church buildings across the UK are well maintained, open to everyone, sustainable and valued.

Working on the ground across all four nations, we support churches of all denominations, helping them to thrive. As a charity, we are independently funded and rely on the generosity of our supporters to carry out this work.

What we do

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Grants and project guidance

We support church buildings with repairs and facilities projects. From training on maintenance to grants worth £50,000, we are on hand to help places of worship.

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Attracting visitors to churches

Churches are popular visitor attractions. With online resources, maps and information, we help tourists and churches from near and far to find each other.

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Speaking up for places of worship

Many UK churches are at risk of closing for good if urgent action is not taken. In 2024 we launched Every Church Counts – a six point plan to save UK church buildings.

Our Impact

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Grants

Since 2013 we have awarded over 2000 grants to churches, chapels and meeting houses right across the UK. Find out more about our grant programmes.

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Supporting churches

A £3.6 million investment in our grants scheme by the Government's Heritage Stimulus Fund means that 32 more historic churches and meeting houses are safe for the future. Hear about how we have helped them.

A member of National Churches Trust staff delivers a presentation inside a church

Training

We deliver regular online and in-person training to help churches with applying for grants, fundraising, maintenance and attracting visitors. 86% of attendees rated our sessions as 'Very Good' or 'Excellent'.

Annual Review and Annual Report

In 2024, we awarded over £2.8million funding, helping places of worship in every nation of the UK to complete repair, maintenance and facilities projects. An Annual Review of our activities is published every summer.

Our Annual Review and Annual Report

Who are we?

Our people

We are a small staff team, centred in Westminster, as well as a trustee board made of representatives from across the UK.

Our patrons and presidents

We are immensely grateful to our Patron, King Charles III and for the continued support of our Vice Patron and Presidents who help us in our mission to keep churches open and in use.