The Overseas Bishoprics' Fund

Quick Stats

• Charity Number: 245334
• Established: 1841 (over 185 years ago)
• Annual Income: £498,998 (year ending December 31, 2023)
• Annual Expenditure: £436,410 (year ending December 31, 2023)
• Geographic Focus: Anglican Communion worldwide (outside the United Kingdom)
• Primary Beneficiaries: Bishops and senior church leaders
• Number of Trustees: 12

Contact Details

• Email: bishopricsfund@gmail.com
• Phone: +44 (0)20 7898 1571 or +44 (0)20 7928 8681
• Fax: +44 (0)20 7633 0185
• Address: 157 Waterloo Road, Lambeth, London, SE1 8XA, United Kingdom
• Secretary: The Revd Stephen Lyon

Note: The address at 157 Partnership House (former headquarters of USPG, CMS and other church organisations) may be subject to redevelopment. It is advisable to confirm current contact details via email before attempting postal correspondence.

Overview

The Overseas Bishoprics' Fund (OBF) was established in 1841 following a meeting of Anglican clergy and laity called by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Originally known as the Colonial Bishoprics' Fund, it was formed to address the critical need for episcopal leadership in the expanding British colonies. At the time of its founding, there were only ten colonial bishops serving the entire Anglican Communion worldwide. The Fund represented a significant shift in Anglican mission strategy, emphasizing the fundamental importance of episcopacy in overseas territories and promoting autonomous action by the Church in the empire.

Today, the OBF continues this historic mission by providing financial support for the establishment and maintenance of bishoprics within or closely associated with the Anglican Communion in any area of the world outside the United Kingdom. With annual income approaching £500,000, the Fund makes grants to enhance the leadership capacity of dioceses, enabling bishops and senior church leaders to fulfil their ministry effectively. The charity is governed by 12 trustees who serve without remuneration, and it has no trading subsidiaries or paid employees.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The OBF provides grants for initiatives including:

• Capacity-Building Grants: Supporting the development of leadership skills and diocesan administrative capacity
• Training Support: Funding for educational programs and professional development for bishops and senior church leaders
• Travel Grants: Enabling bishops to attend important meetings, conferences, and provide pastoral oversight across their dioceses
• Infrastructure Development: Support for establishing or improving physical infrastructure needed for episcopal ministry

Application Method: Contact-based. Applications must be submitted via email to bishopricsfund@gmail.com with support from provincial leadership.

Priority Areas

The Fund focuses exclusively on:

• Supporting bishops and senior church leaders within the Anglican Communion
• Strengthening episcopal leadership capacity
• Enhancing the operational effectiveness of dioceses
• Maintaining and establishing bishoprics outside the United Kingdom
• Projects that demonstrate clear impact with provincial leadership endorsement

What They Don't Fund

• Individuals: Grants are not given to individuals, except for a limited number of scholarships put forward by project “partners”
• UK-based bishoprics: The Fund's charitable object explicitly excludes support for bishoprics within the United Kingdom
• Non-Anglican organizations: Support is limited to those within or closely associated with the Anglican Communion

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Governance and Leadership

Leadership

• Secretary: The Revd Stephen Lyon oversees the administration of the Fund

Trustees

The charity is governed by 12 trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The trustees ensure that all grants align with the Fund's charitable objectives and maintain oversight of the organization's financial management.

Operational Structure

• No paid employees
• No trading subsidiaries
• All administrative functions managed through trustee oversight
• Operates as a grant-making trust supporting Anglican episcopacy worldwide

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Overseas Bishoprics' Fund does not appear to operate a formal public application process with standardized forms or online portals. Applications are handled on a case-by-case basis through direct contact with the Fund.

Application Requirements:

1. Contact the Fund via email at bishopricsfund@gmail.com
2. Applications must demonstrate a clear impact
3. Applications must include support from provincial leadership (essential requirement)
4. Projects should align with the Fund's core mission of supporting episcopal ministry

The requirement for provincial leadership support suggests that applications typically come through formal Anglican Communion structures rather than from individual bishops acting independently.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly available. Given the structure of the charity and the need for trustee review, applicants should anticipate that decisions may take several months, particularly if coordination with provincial leadership is required.

Success Rates

No public data is available on application success rates or the number of applications received annually.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is documented. Given the relational nature of the application process and the requirement for provincial leadership support, unsuccessful applicants would likely benefit from discussing future applications directly with the Fund's secretary.

Application Success Factors

Based on the Fund's structure and stated priorities, applications are likely to be most successful when they:

1. Demonstrate Provincial Endorsement: Applications must include clear support from provincial leadership. This is explicitly stated as a requirement and suggests that the Fund works within the formal structures of the Anglican Communion rather than supporting individual initiatives.

1. Show Clear Impact: The Fund specifically requires that applications “demonstrate a clear impact.” Successful applications should articulate how the grant will tangibly enhance episcopal leadership capacity or diocesan effectiveness.

1. Focus on Leadership Capacity: Given the Fund's mission “to enhance the leadership capacity of dioceses, enabling bishops and senior church leaders to fulfil their ministry effectively,” applications should emphasize leadership development, capacity building, and long-term sustainability rather than one-off projects.

1. Align with Core Themes: Applications focusing on capacity-building, training, travel for ministry purposes, or infrastructure development are explicitly mentioned as fundable areas.

1. Support Long-term Benefits: The Fund emphasizes "ensuring long-term benefits for the Church's mission," suggesting preference for sustainable interventions over short-term fixes.

1. Work Through Partnership: The Fund's reference to scholarships being "put forward by project 'partners'" indicates that they value working through established relationships and trusted partners rather than responding to unsolicited approaches.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Provincial support is essential: Do not apply without first securing formal endorsement from provincial leadership within your Anglican Communion structure
• Relationship-based funding: This is not an open grant program; success likely depends on existing relationships within Anglican Communion networks
• Episcopal focus only: The Fund exclusively supports bishops and senior church leaders, not parishes, individual clergy, or lay ministries
• International scope: Only bishoprics outside the United Kingdom are eligible for support
• Capacity over projects: Frame applications around building sustainable leadership capacity rather than funding specific projects
• Historic mission: Understanding the Fund's 185-year history of supporting episcopal ministry in challenging contexts may help position applications effectively
• Small, focused charity: With income under £500,000 and no staff, this is a modest fund with likely limited capacity for extensive grant-making; expectations should be realistic

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• The Anglo-Catholic Ordination Candidates Fund
• ORDINATION CANDIDATES TRAINING FUND INCORPORATED TRUST LIMITED
• THE ARCHBISHOPS' COUNCIL
• The Queen Victoria Clergy Fund
• The Cleaver Ordination Candidates Fund
• St Boniface Trust
• Church Commissioners for England
• St Augustine's Foundation
• Li Tim Oi Foundation
• Lord Crewe's Charity

References

1. UK Charity Commission Register - The Overseas Bishoprics' Fund (Charity Number 245334). Available at: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/245334

1. Anglican Communion - Overseas Bishoprics' Fund. World Anglican. Available at: https://www.worldanglican.com/united-kingdom/lambeth/anglican-organisations-institutions/overseas-bishoprics-fund

1. Anglican Communion: Organisations. Available at: https://www.anglicancommunion.org/community/organisations.aspx

1. Strong, R. (2007). “The Resurgence of Colonial Anglicanism: the Colonial Bishoprics Fund, 1840-1.” Studies in Church History, Cambridge Core. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-church-history/article/abs/resurgence-of-colonial-anglicanism-the-colonial-bishoprics-fund-18401/6EB63709984C20DC38BAB5D9729542F8

1. Charity Commission financial data for year ending December 31, 2023 (Income: £498,998; Expenditure: £436,410)