Chester Diocesan Board of Finance
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Check which fund fits before you apply, because the Board gives through separate grant-making funds with their own terms, and trustees judge applications on their merits.
- The stated focus is the Diocese of Chester, and typical grants fall between £3,000 and £46,000, with a median of £5,000, so a modest request sits within the usual pattern.
- Under Quick Wins and Give to Go Green only churches can apply, and Give to Go Green is for small to medium projects that reduce a church's carbon footprint and cost between £5,000 and £20,000.
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but the Steel and Fletcher Rogers Fund supports only women and girls in need on the Wirral, so organisations outside that remit should not apply to it.
Overview
Chester Diocesan Board of Finance is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 248968).
Chester Diocesan Board of Finance is a registered charity whose core purpose is to maintain and promote the spiritual teaching of the Church of England in the Diocese of Chester, and it acts as the Diocesan Board of Finance for that diocese. It makes a variety of grants to clergy, their dependants, parishes and organisations as need arises. The charity is endowed and reports annual giving of £208,000. Its grant-making includes a programme for women and girls in need on the Wirral.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Board makes a variety of grants to clergy, their dependants, parishes and organisations as need arises and in furtherance of its charitable objects. Its grant-making funds have their own eligibility terms, and trustees consider applications on their merits. The Board’s core purpose is to maintain and promote the spiritual teaching of the Church of England in the Diocese of Chester. Its wider work assists parochial church councils with churches, sacred spaces, worship services, accounting and administration, and supports outreach, education and ministry training. Grants also enable national church institutions to function and have a positive wider influence. Its finance department says parish income is made available for grants to clergy and PCCs.
Themes
- Spiritual teaching
- Women and girls in need
Geographic Focus
Diocese of Chester.
What they don't fund
- Steel and Fletcher Rogers Fund only: The foundation does not fund anything other than women and girls in need on the Wirral
How to apply
Eligible applicants apply under the terms of the relevant grant-making fund. The trustees consider applications on their merits.
Who can apply:
- Quick Wins and Give to Go Green: Churches can apply.
- Give To Go Green: Funding is available for churches that want to carry out small to medium sized projects that will reduce their carbon footprint and cost between £5,000 - £20,000.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- Cheshire
- Greater Manchester
- Merseyside
- Derbyshire
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Chester Diocesan Board of Finance.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 6 grants in year to 31 December 2025 by size
Median £8,500 (year to 31 December 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Pastoral account grants to parishes£46,000year to 31 December 2025
- Thornton Hough - Fryer trust£34,000year to 31 December 2025
- Complementary parish share scheme£12,000year to 31 December 2025
- Birkenhead Priory - clerical or lay assistance£5,000year to 31 December 2025
- Marton - E J Massey trust£4,000year to 31 December 2025
- Twemlow trust - Balterley£3,000year to 31 December 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts. Not included above: 2 with no named recipient.
6 years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2020 | £14,481,000 | £15,446,000 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2020 |
| year to 31 December 2021 | £14,594,000 | £14,054,000 | £75,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £14,568,000 | £14,901,000 | £349,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £15,144,000 | £15,462,000 | £377,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £14,986,000 | £16,413,000 | £389,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | — | — | £208,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 4 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: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.
— No grants figure for that year.
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.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- chesterdiocese.org
- chesterdiocese.org/content/finance · read on 31 October 2026
- chesterdiocese.org/content/net-zero-grants · read on 31 October 2026
- chesterdiocese.org/finance · read on 31 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 31 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Chester Diocesan Board of Finance?
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Applying to Chester Diocesan Board of Finance?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required