Diocese of Lincoln Board of Education

Registered charity 1151733 · since 2013lincolndiocesaneducation.com·Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£26,301

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2025

From filed accounts

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

This funder suits schools and church-connected groups in its stated focus area, the Diocese of Lincoln covering Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, because its priorities are church school development, newly appointed Church School head teachers, inclusion and spiritual growth.
Most of its awards are small, with up to £500 from the Closed Schools General Purpose Reserve Fund and up to £150 from the Bishop Ready for School Fund, so a modest, specific request fits best.
Apply on the form on the Diocesan website, explain the real impact of the work and link it clearly to the Board's priorities, and expect a short report with photographs and invoices if funded.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and assessed by the Senior Leadership Team at weekly meetings during term time.
Organisations not within or connected to the Diocese of Lincoln Board of Education should not apply to the Closed Schools General Purpose Reserve Fund, and nor should anyone seeking salaries, statutory requirements, capital works, normally budgeted items, training courses, ongoing or repeat activities, or retrospective costs, while schools that applied within the last three years should wait unless a new head has been appointed.

Overview

Diocese of Lincoln Board of Education is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1151733).

Diocese of Lincoln Board of Education is a registered charity that exists to promote education for the public benefit in the Diocese, in accordance with the doctrines and principles of the Church of England. It runs two programmes: the Bishop of Lincoln's Ready For School Fund, which supports children and young people who need some financial support to fully engage in school, and the Closed Schools General Purpose Reserve Fund, which supports Church Schools, individuals and organisations connected to the Diocese of Lincoln. During the year it made 15 grants of up to £500 totalling £6,301 to individual schools, within annual giving of £26,301.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Board’s grant-making supports Christian education in the Diocese of Lincoln through the Closed Schools General Purpose Reserve Fund and the Bishop Ready for School Fund. The former provides grants to Church Schools and to individuals and organisations connected with the LDBE, with priorities including developing schools as Church Schools, supporting newly-appointed Church School head teachers, inclusion and spiritual growth, and equipping individuals to minister in their communities. The Bishop Ready for School Fund enables schools to seek assistance on behalf of children and young people who need financial support to take part fully in school and access educational opportunities. The Board’s reported school awards have also supported school vision and quiet outdoor spaces for children’s wellbeing alongside nature.

Themes

Christian education
Church school development
Inclusion
Spiritual growth
Community ministry
School access

Geographic Focus

Diocese of Lincoln: Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire counties in United Kingdom.

What they don't fund

The Closed Schools General Purpose Reserve Fund (CSGPRF) only:
- salaries, statutory requirements, items normally covered in school budgets, or capital works
- the running of training courses (not normally)
- ongoing, or repeat, activities (not normally)
- retrospective applications
- schools applying more than once in every 3-year period, unless a new head is appointed

How to apply

Organisations within, or connected in some way to, the LDBE can apply through the Closed Schools General Purpose Reserve Fund. Submit the application form provided on the Diocesan website; applications are assessed by the Senior Leadership Team at weekly meetings during term time, and the individual submitting the application is notified of the decision.

Who can apply:

Bishop Ready for School Fund: Schools are encouraged to apply for grants on behalf of families in the church school community.

What to send:

Bishop Ready for School Fund: Information on why assistance is required and the amount requested, a list of what is to be purchased, and an estimate of cost per item.
The Closed Schools General Purpose Reserve Fund: The application form provided on the Diocesan website.

Applying again: The Closed Schools General Purpose Reserve Fund: Schools can apply once in every 3-year period; but, if a new head is appointed, this clock resets.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

It prioritises the development of schools as Church Schools.
It gives priority to newly-appointed Church School head teachers.
It prioritises individuals in programmes furthering the Board’s purposes, especially in inclusion and spiritual growth.
It prioritises equipping individuals to minister in their communities.
Applicants should explain the real impact of their proposal and clearly link it to the Board of Education’s key priorities.
Recipients must provide a short report, ideally photographs of the completed work, and relevant invoices.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Diocese of Lincoln Board of Education.

The Salisbury Diocesan Board of EducationRollingGave £1.2M Blackburn Diocesan Board of EducationRollingGave £111k City & Diocese of London Voluntary School FundRolling Lincolnshire Methodist DistrictInvitation onlyGave £179k Worth Waynflete FoundationRollingGave £519k London Diocesan Board for SchoolsRollingGave £66,000 Newcastle Diocesan Education BoardNo public process Chester Diocesan Board of EducationInvitation only The BNA Charitable Incorporated OrganisationFixed deadlines Charity of Sir Richard WhittingtonNo public processGave £5.3M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2021	£620,314	£658,061	£24,420	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£543,881	£620,208	£21,876	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£599,932	£653,191	£5,930	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£629,671	£610,215	£9,027	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£685,493	£634,096	£26,301	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2021

£24,420 grants

YE 2022

£21,876 grants

YE 2023

£5,930 grants

YE 2024

£9,027 grants

YE 2025

£26,301 awarded

Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022; year to 31 December 2023; year to 31 December 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.

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.