The Relay Trust

Registered charity 1170596 · since 2016relaytrust.org·Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Sierra Leone·Updated 29 October 2026

At a glance

£6M

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2025

From the Charity Commission register

Key takeaways

The Relay Trust's giving is aimed at church leadership: it funds training facilities, educational running costs, theology bursaries and church expenses, with a stated focus on the regions of the 200 poorest Anglican dioceses and priority countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya.
A small nonprofit whose work sits outside church leadership training, or which has no link to Anglican churches or training bodies, is unlikely to be a good fit.
No application process is published and no grant range is stated, so a sensible first step is to use the contact it shows for getting in touch and ask about its process and typical request sizes before writing a proposal.
The trust describes working closely with partner churches to tailor learning to local contexts, so a relationship with those partners may matter more than a cold application.
Its annual giving of £5,983,141 on the Charity Commission register shows it is a substantial funder, but nothing here indicates how competitive it is.

Overview

The Relay Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1170596).

The Relay Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1170596). It began with a vision for using technology to enhance training and equip church leaders with resources, training and support. Its purpose is to facilitate leadership training for the Christian church through training content, strategic advice and financial support. Its five principal activities are educational facilities, operating costs, student bursaries, support for church expenses and support to specialist charities.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Relay Trust provides institutional funding for operational and capital projects that support its principal activities. It facilitates leadership training for the Christian church through training content, strategic advice and financial support for students, teachers, administration and capital development. Its work includes constructing and refurbishing colleges and training centres, meeting operating costs of educational facilities, and providing bursaries for disadvantaged students studying theology in the United Kingdom. It also supports operating and capital expenses of churches in training areas and specialist charities that upskill local employees for future leadership. Its stated geographic focus is the regions covered by the 200 poorest dioceses within the Anglican Church.

Themes

Church leadership training
Church training facilities
Educational facility costs
Theology student bursaries
Specialist charity staff training

Geographic Focus

Priority: Sierra Leone; Guinea; Ethiopia; Democratic Republic of Congo; Kenya.

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

It focuses on the bishops of the 200 most impoverished dioceses in the Anglican Communion.
It identifies dioceses least served by mission agencies using a multi-faceted index that considers deprivation and instability.
It works closely with partner churches to tailor learning to local cultural and ministerial contexts.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Ethiopia
Guinea
Kenya
Sierra Leone

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to The Relay Trust.

The Milk and Honey TrustNo public processGave £210k The Jerusalem TrustRollingGave £4.5M The Matthew 25:35 TrustRollingGave £105k Godstone TabernacleNo public process Livingston Charitable TrustRollingGave £521k E J Spice Charitable TrustNo public process Paul Lunn-Rockliffe Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £80,000 Cheshunt FoundationRollingGave £129k The Mustardseed Arts and Educational TrustNo public processGave £328k ministries without bordersNo public processGave £413k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2020	£676,173	£1,342,253	£749,559	Accounts for year to 31 March 2020
year to 31 March 2021	£2,937,452	£1,633,220	£1,586,955	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 30 September 2022	£6,356,039	£6,415,130	£5,777,255	Accounts for year to 30 September 2022
year to 30 September 2023	£9,528,976	£8,574,263	£7,972,052	Accounts for year to 30 September 2023
year to 31 March 2025	£8,567,747	£6,998,750	£5,983,141	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2020

£750k grants

YE 2021

£1.6M grants

YE 2022

£5.8M grants

YE 2023

£8M grants

YE 2025

£6M grants

In 1 of the 5 years shown, grants paid exceeded income.

Grants paid, all years: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).

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.