Chester Diocesan Board of Education

Registered charity 525790 · since 1967chesterdbe.co.uk·England·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.

Key takeaways

Only Voluntary Aided schools within the Diocese of Chester may receive SCA funding, through their Responsible Body, so a charity outside that group should not apply.
A school's School Buildings Consultant prepares the bid from its approved building development plan, and bids are submitted only during the September to December bidding period each year, so timing is fixed.
Urgent works that could close a school come first, then safeguarding and health and safety projects, while development projects do better when they show a positive impact on learning, teaching and outcomes and when the school contributes more than the required 10%.
The funder works by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, and the annual report gives no readable grants figure or grant range, so a realistic size of request cannot be judged from the available information.

Overview

Chester Diocesan Board of Education is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 525790).

Chester Diocesan Board of Education was set up to help Church of England schools in the Diocese of Chester live up to their Trust deed as Church schools, with the aim of equipping them to promote education rooted in Christian values. It acts as the responsible body for Voluntary Aided schools and manages capital funding for their building projects, and there are currently 114 Church of England schools in the Diocese. Its work includes administering grant claims for building and maintenance work on school properties in the Diocese.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The foundation's grants provide financial assistance to school governors or schools for specific, approved projects. Its project support is focused on voluntary aided Church of England schools in the Diocese of Chester, with help for school building and maintenance work and IT equipment. Capital funding supports urgent condition repairs, safeguarding and health-and-safety works, and selected development and suitability projects that create functional teaching and learning spaces. School building consultants prepare bids against approved development plans. Projects are prioritised by urgency and safety, while development proposals are stronger when they demonstrate a positive impact on learning, teaching and outcomes. The foundation also supports quality religious education and worship in church schools.

Themes

School building projects
IT equipment
Religious education
Religious worship

Geographic Focus

The Diocese of Chester.

How to apply

A school's School Buildings Consultant prepares SCA bids on the school's behalf and submits them to CDBE, based on the approved development plans.

Deadlines: Schools submit SCA bids during the September–December bidding period each year.

Who can apply:

SCA funding: Voluntary Aided (VA) schools within the Diocese of Chester may receive SCA funding for capital projects through their Responsible Body.

What to send:

SCA funding: A school’s building development plan, including its phases and costs, should be revisited each year and form the basis of a SCA bid.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Urgent condition works that could cause a school to close receive the highest priority.
Safeguarding and other health and safety projects receive the second priority.
Development projects are more likely to succeed if they demonstrate a positive impact on learning, teaching and outcomes.
Development projects are more likely to succeed when schools can contribute more than the required 10%.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

England

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Chester Diocesan Board of Education.

Lempriere Pringle 2015Invitation onlyGave £4.5M The John Booth Charitable FoundationRollingGave £2.4M Powell's Educational FoundationNo public processGave £145k ACF SevenoaksNo public process The Weinstock FundRollingGave £431k Classquote LimitedRollingGave £273k The Corcoran FoundationNo public processGave £527k Combe Bank Educational TrustRollingGave £236k Skinners' Education FoundationNo public processGave £188k CECOS FoundationInvitation only

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2021	£2,293,706	£2,290,742	£2,730	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£2,455,383	£2,376,325	£25,000	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£2,574,434	£1,862,711	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£2,448,542	£2,728,843	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£2,404,940	£2,629,699	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2021

£2,730 grants

YE 2022

£25,000 grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.