The Prayer Book Society

Registered charity 1099295 · since 2003pbs.org.uk·International·Updated 31 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Society's grants and bursaries are aimed at promoting understanding and use of the Book of Common Prayer, so a request fits best if it concerns Prayer Book worship, teaching, organist training, conference attendance or obtaining Prayer Books.
Its annual giving and grant range are not stated, so check the amount with the Society before setting a figure.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and grants are awarded through open application, with applicants not needing to be members of the Society.
Organisations outside the Church of England should not apply to the Edith Matthias Prayer Book Trust, which is for Church of England parishes and other CofE organisations, and should use its PDF or Word form.
Those applicants are usually asked to contribute to book costs according to their resources.

Overview

The Prayer Book Society is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1099295).

The Prayer Book Society is a registered charity in England and Wales whose purpose is to promote the worship and doctrine of the Book of Common Prayer and its use for services, teaching and training throughout the Church of England and other Churches in the Anglican tradition. Since its inception it has made 165 grants. Its programmes include the Organ Scholarship Fund, which helps trainee organists with tuition fees and bursaries, the Edith Matthias Prayer Book Trust, which provides grants to churches to acquire copies of the Book of Common Prayer, the Eileen Freeman Bequest, which is spent on activities approved by the Blackburn Branch, and the Prayer Books for Africa appeal, which enables copies to be purchased and shipped to African churches.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Society’s grants and bursaries promote understanding and use of the Book of Common Prayer. It awards support for attendance at its Annual Conference and tuition for trainee organists learning to play for Prayer Book services. Through the Edith Matthias Prayer Book Trust, it helps cash-strapped Church of England parishes and other Church of England organisations obtain Prayer Books to maintain or reintroduce Prayer Book worship; applicants are usually asked to contribute according to their resources. Its Prayer Books for Africa appeal enables copies to be purchased and shipped to African churches. Grants are awarded through open application, and applicants need not be members of the Society.

Themes

Prayer Book worship
Organist training
Prayer Book copies
Conference attendance

Geographic Focus

Worldwide.

How to apply

For the Edith Matthias Prayer Book Trust, use its PDF or Word application form.

Who can apply:

Edith Matthias Prayer Book Trust: Church of England parishes and other CofE organisations

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The grants should help promote understanding and use of the Book of Common Prayer.
For Prayer Book grants, applicants are usually asked to contribute to book costs according to their financial resources, which the Trustees believe helps cement commitment to using the books.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

International

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to The Prayer Book Society.

Headington Baptist ChurchNo public processGave £38,056 Trinitarian Bible SocietyRollingGave £410k Cannon Charitable TrustNo public processGave £602k The Banner of Truth TrustNo public processGave £154k RCCG Stillwaters Church Colchester Essex UKNo public processGave £63,006 Campden Baptist ChurchNo public processGave £19,782 Christ Church MayfairNo public processGave £192k The National Committee of World Day of Prayer, England, Wales & N IrelandFixed deadlinesGave £101k Shirley Baptist ChurchNo public processGave £13,206 Rachel Charitable TrustRollingGave £2.6M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2021	£1,035,828	£267,781	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£235,353	£362,617	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£332,130	£407,866	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£394,251	£407,619	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£835,121	£553,688	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

— 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.