The Trustees of SHCT awards grants towards church, chapel and meeting house building projects, four times a year. The money comes from legacies to the Trust, and also money raised by the annual Suffolk Churches Ride and Stride and Pedal & Drive events held in September.
Latest Grants awarded – April 2026
Thirteen Suffolk churches facing huge bills for repairs and conservation have heard that they have been awarded grants towards their costs from Suffolk Historic Churches Trust. The total sum awarded at the April Grants Meeting was £57,500 divided among nine churches in West Suffolk, and four in East Suffolk.
Click HERE for more details.
SHCT Grant Application Information
The Suffolk Historic Churches Trust was founded specifically to help conserve and preserve Suffolk’s Churches and Chapels of all denominations with advice and grants towards the cost of essential repairs and maintenance.
To be eligible for a grant the church or chapel must be within the County of Suffolk and in regular use as a place of worship. Each year the Trust helps between 40 and 50 places of worship of all denominations and ages. The Grants Committee is also able to advise churches on other sources of grant aid.
Scroll down this page to download an application form, guidance notes and claim form. If you prefer to fill in the form on a computer choose the word version of the application form which can then be sent with the supporting documents as attachments to an e-mail to shct@btconnect.com for the attention of the Grants Secretary.
Alternatively the application form can be completed by hand and sent with the supporting documents by post. Further details can be found in the Guidance Notes which will assist you in filling in the application form.
To download Application Form pdf version click here: SHCT Grant Application Form rev Oct 25.pdf
To download Application Form as word version click here: SHCT Grant Application Form rev Oct 25.doc
Guidance notes link: click here: SHCT Grants application guidance notes revised Oct 25.pdf
Guidance notes word version: SHCT Grants application guidance notes revised Oct 25.doc
To download Claim Form as a pdf version click here: SHCT-Grants-Claim-Form.pdf
To download Claim Form as a word version click here: SHCT-Grants-Claim-Form.docx
Application forms, guidance notes and claim forms may also be obtained from the SHCT Office by e-mail: shct@btconnect.com or telephone: 01787 883884
The Trust also maintains a list of other other sources of grant funding available to places of worship which is available on request from the SHCT office: shct@btconnect.com
Timetable
Grants Committee Meetings are held four times a year and the applications are normally required at least three weeks prior to the meeting (earlier when bank holidays intervene) to allow time for any queries to be sorted out prior to the meeting. Failure to meet the deadlines below may result in the application having to be deferred to the next Grants meeting.
Grants Committee Meetings 2026
Monday 5th January (closing date for applications Monday 22nd December)
Monday 13th April (closing date for applications Monday 30th March)
Monday 29th June (closing date for applications Monday 15th June)
Monday 19th October (closing date for applications Monday 5th October)
Projects for which the Trust may Grant Funds
Funds may be granted towards the cost of preservation, repair, maintenance and improvement of churches and chapels within Suffolk. To be eligible for a grant the Trust requires that:
- The recipient church must be in use as a public place of worship
- In principle the building should be of architectural or historic interest
- The church faces a shortfall of funds to complete the project for which funds are sought
- To be eligible for a grant the Trust requires that a church or chapel ‘must be accessible to the public’. Either the church or chapel should be open or, if not, there should be clear signage to help the visitor gain access to the building.”
- The church believes it will be able to raise the remaining funds needed
- Normally to be eligible for a grant the Trust requires that work on the project has not started prior to the submission of an application.
The maximum grant will be £20,000 for all categories
Category A – Fabric Repairs
Roofs including re-thatching, Rainwater goods, Walls (not churchyard boundary walls) and buttresses, Plaster and re-decorating following work to the fabric, Tower repairs but not the provision of new bell frames or re-casting of bells, Porches, Window stonework and glass/lead repairs but not conservation of stained glass.
Category B
Liturgical reordering, other re-ordering e.g. repair/removal of pews and choir stalls to make space for social/concert use, Electrical work including lighting and heating, heating boilers, Repairs to solid flooring.
Category C
Lavatories, Kitchenettes, Disability Discrimination Act work (access, handrails, hearing loops etc. including exterior paths,) CCTV systems, Installation of Security Cameras, Historic Churchyard walls and Lychgates (emergency repairs only), Conservation of Wall-paintings, stained glass and other conservation projects only if funds allow.
Category D
In exceptional circumstances an application may be considered to help pay for outside professional reports or guidance to prepare for applications to major grant funders. e.g. National Lottery Heritage Fund. An initial approach should be made to the SHCT Grant Secretary via the contact tab on this website.
Ineligible Projects
- furnishings and fittings
- brasses and bells
- monuments
- organs
- redecoration, unless needed as part of an eligible project
- new buildings or extensions to existing buildings
- Save in exceptional circumstances projects for the following are also ineligible
- clocks
ROOF ALARMS
The SHCT Roof Alarm grants programme to help prevent lead theft has now closed. Churches seeking such funding should look at the Benefact (formerly All Churches Trust) website: benefacttrust.co.uk